July 13, 2018
I used to work in the insurance industry supporting an underwriting department. Many RV owners claim residency for the purpose of the RV in a state other than the one where they might technically be a “resident” – especially the road warriors whose home is in the RV. For instance, Montana has laws and a tax code that benefits RV owners, so many will claim it as a resident state for the purpose of registering and “garaging” the RV for insurance. You could look into the requirements to get the RV titled to your clients under the Kansas law. Another thought is why couldn’t they retain a Kansas attorney and get the quiet title order/judgment there and then file the foreign judgment here as I believe that Iowa must recognize that…seems like the constitution says something about that. Just trying to think outside the box for you.
Have your clients looked into this matter through Kansas DOT? To possibly obtain a salvage title from the issuing state of the certificate? Might be able to do this, may be a long shot, but I would contact the initial issuing agency that declared the status of the vehicle.
What about doing it in Kansas (which apparently has the procedure) and then taking the Kansas title to Iowa?
Thanks for the website link regarding bonded certificate of title. That was my first thought also, but my clients had already tried this procedure and it failed as the DOT sent back a letter stating that because the vehicle had been junked it cannot be processed through the title bond process unless it was 25 years old. Although my clients’ RV was junked, it is only a few years old. I’ve done some research regarding junking certificates or other options also, but nothing seems to fit. Does anyone have any ideas regarding “quiet title” or another DOT option or a contract person at the DOT who has been helpful that I could reach out to?
July 12, 2018
https://iowadot.gov/mvd/vehicleregistration/bonded-certificate-of-title
My clients bought an RV from what appears to be a reputable RV dealership located in Kansas in April. The RV was given a certificate of destruction as a result of a flood and was restored by the dealership. There is no title to the RV. The dealership made this very clear to my clients when they bought the RV. The dealership told my clients to proceed with a “quiet title” action to get a court order deeming them owners of the RV. My clients have made some efforts with the local Treasurer and the Iowa DOT to get a title to the RV. All efforts to date have failed. Has anyone ever heard of a “quiet title” action for a vehicle in Iowa? Or, is there another process through the DOT or otherwise where we can efficiently have a title prepared for the RV? If so, and if anyone has done anything similarly in the past, I would be happy to refer this on or get some advice as to how best to proceed? It appears that such an action for “quiet title” of a vehicle does exist in Kansas and Missouri, which may be why the dealership suggested it. I haven’t been able to locate such a claim or a statute on such a matter in my Iowa research.
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