What the 2025 laws actually do
Three bills by Sen. Royce West (D-Dallas) gave Texas some of the nation’s strongest anti-deed-fraud protections, all enacted in 2025 (Texas Legislature Online):
- -SB 1734 (effective September 1, 2025) creates an expedited process: the real owner files an affidavit and notice, and if no opposing affidavit is filed within 120 days, the owner can petition district court to declare the fraudulent document has no legal effect - with the filing fee waived.
- -SB 693 (effective September 1, 2025) makes it a Class A misdemeanor for a notary to notarize a signature when the signer did not personally appear - elevated to a state jail felony when the document transfers real property; notaries must keep records for 10 years.
- -SB 16 (signed September 17, 2025, backed by AARP Texas) creates new criminal offenses for real-property theft and fraud, with enhanced penalties when victims are seniors or people with disabilities.
Why DFW buyers and owners should care
Deed (title) fraud is when a scammer forges a deed to sell or borrow against a home they do not own - often a vacant, inherited, or paid-off home owned by a senior:
- -Once a forged deed is recorded at the county clerk, the fraudster can sell it, take loans against it, or rent it out (AARP Texas; Texas Dept. of Insurance).
- -Dallas County saw more than 100 properties tied up in deed fraud in 2025, and a Harris County couple was accused of faking deeds for at least 35 properties - the surge that prompted the new laws (Texas Tribune, Aug 2025).
- -Before these laws, clearing a forged deed could take years and tens of thousands in legal costs; SB 1734 is designed to resolve it in months at no filing fee (KPRC/Click2Houston, Aug 2025).
- -SB 693 targets a key link in the fraud chain: many forged deeds rely on a notary stamping a signature the real owner never made in person (Texas Dept. of Insurance).
How a DFW buyer or renter uses these protections
Practical steps the laws unlock:
- -If a fraudulent deed is recorded against your property, file the SB 1734 affidavit with your county district court and record the resulting court order to restore clear title.
- -Insist on an in-person closing and a trusted in-person notary - under SB 693 a notary who stamps a real-property document without the signer present now commits a state jail felony, so a seller pushing a remote notary is a warning sign.
- -Buy an owner title insurance policy; it protects against ownership-title defects like a forged prior deed (Texas Dept. of Insurance).
- -Report suspected fraud to the Texas Attorney General Consumer Protection Division and local police.
National backdrop: rental scams are surging too
The laws land amid record rental-scam losses:
- -The FTC reported nearly 65,000 rental-scam reports and about $65 million in losses from Jan 2020 through June 2025 (median loss $1,000) (FTC Data Spotlight, Dec 2025).
- -About half of reported rental scams (year ending June 2025) started with a fake Facebook ad; renters ages 18-29 were 3x more likely to lose money.
- -The Texas AG warns that fake landlords rent out property they do not own and pressure renters for a deposit before an in-person showing - never wire a deposit for a place you have not seen.
Verify it yourself
Pull the deed history and current owner of record from the correct DFW county appraisal district (Dallas CAD, Tarrant TAD, Collin CAD, Denton CAD) plus the County Clerk official public records. A recently recorded deed transferring away from a long-time owner - especially a senior - is the classic SB 16 / SB 1734 red flag, and the recorded owner must match whoever is trying to sell or rent to you. RPV flags the exact patterns these laws target: a seller or landlord demanding a deposit before an in-person tour, insisting on a remote notary (now a felony under SB 693 for property transfers), or listing a vacant / below-market property under a name that is not the owner of record.
Run a free listing checkFrequently asked questions
Is deed fraud a crime in Texas now?
Yes. Effective in 2025, Texas SB 16 (signed Sept. 17, 2025) created new criminal offenses for real-property theft and fraud with enhanced penalties when the victim is a senior or a person with a disability, and SB 693 (effective Sept. 1, 2025) made it a state jail felony for a notary to notarize a real-property transfer when the signer was not present (Texas Legislature Online; AARP Texas).
My name is on a deed I never signed - how do I fix it fast?
Under SB 1734 (effective Sept. 1, 2025) the true owner files an affidavit and notice; if no opposing affidavit is filed within 120 days, you can petition the district court to declare the fraudulent document has no legal effect, with the filing fee waived, then record the court order to restore clear title.
How do I avoid a fake-landlord rental scam in DFW?
Never pay a deposit or wire money for a place you have not toured in person, and verify the landlord actually owns the property before signing. The FTC found nearly 65,000 rental-scam reports and about $65 million in losses since 2020, with roughly half starting from fake Facebook ads (FTC; Texas Attorney General).
What is seller-impersonation fraud?
It is when a criminal forges documents to sell property they do not own, usually a vacant lot or unoccupied house listed below market for a fast cash sale. Red flags per the Texas Department of Insurance: a seller who wants cash only, avoids in-person closing, or insists on their own remote notary. Buy owner title insurance and confirm ownership in county records.
Sources
- Texas Legislature Online - SB 1734, SB 693 (89R)
- AARP Texas - SB 16 deed-fraud protections
- The Texas Tribune - Texas real-estate fraud bills (Aug 1, 2025)
- KPRC / Click2Houston - new deed-theft laws (Aug 22, 2025)
- FTC Data Spotlight - rental scams (Dec 2025)
- Texas Dept. of Insurance - seller-impersonation fraud
- Texas Attorney General - Real Estate & Rental Scams