Legal Question in Real Estate Law in California
The Homestead form that I paid for did not meet the requirements of the County Recorder's office of San Bernardino, Ca. The document did not have the sufficient space on the upper right hand corner for the recording information (2 1/2 x 5 inches).
3 Answers from Attorneys
Is there a question in there? And why did you file a Homestead claim. Are you about to go into bankruptcy?
California's Government Code, Section 27361.6, sets forth the first-page top and side margin requirements. Anyone publishing a form that doesn't comply with these white-space rules for use in California is making a huge mistake. How much space was provided? Are you sure you bought original forms from a genuine publisher, and not something someone made themselves on a copying machine? (It is possible under 27361.6 to affix an additional cover page in order to meet the margin requirements, but it must itself contain sufficient information to provide for proper indexing, etc.)
That's why forms you buy on the internet are worthless. People think they are saving money buying a form for $25.00 from an internet website, instead of hiring an attorney. In the long run, however, they are getting scammed and wasting their time and not doing things right, which costs more money in the long run.