Legal Question in Real Estate Law in Illinois
Do real estate title abstractors need a license in Illinois? Are real estate title abstractors required to hold a Private Detective license to search private and public real estate records to do a full title search in Illinois?
2 Answers from Attorneys
In Illinois we use title insurance companies although in a few places you may find abstract companies. Any company providing assurance of real estate title other than licensed attorneys need to be licensed. Title examiners work for those companies but are not licensed. Private detectives generally do not do title work.
To add to the previous answer, there is no such thing as private real estate records. If the document is not part of the not part of the public record, it generally has no legal effect. So, no, a private detective license is not required.