When someone needs to transfer their ownership of a property to someone else, without the need to check the title or ensure proper ownership, a Minnesota (MN) quitclaim deed is the proper form to use. With this form, the seller (grantor) does not guarantee anything about ownership or the title, but simply transfers their legal interest to a buyer (grantee).
Warranty deeds are different from quitclaim deeds. With a warranty deed, the grantor guarantees the title.
Sometimes quitclaim deeds are called “quick claim deeds,” “quit claims deeds,” or “quit claim deeds” by mistake. These are erroneous terms for the same document.
Important Laws & Requirements
- Laws: § 507.07
- Documents: If the property is worth more than $1,000, then the eCVR (Electronic Certificate of Real Estate Value) document must be filed at the same time as the quitclaim deed. If the property has a new well that was put in place since the grantor’s original purchase, then the Well Disclosure Certificate is required.
- Recording: All deeds, including quitclaim deeds in Minnesota, must be registered through the County Recorder’s Office per § 507.0944. Choose the recorder’s office in the county where the property resides.
- Signing: The grantor must sign the deed and must do so in the presence of a notary public, who will then notarize the deed, per § 507.24.
- Errors: If errors are made, white-out cannot be used. The deed must be rewritten.
How to Write & File a Quitclaim Deed in Minnesota
Step 1: Download the Minnesota quitclaim deed.
Step 2: Enter the name and address of the preparer on the top left-hand corner of the form.
Step 3: Enter the return address information under the preparer’s information. This is the person who receives the deed after it is recorded. Many people choose the buyer, but it may be someone else.
Step 4: Write the county where the property is located.
Step 5: After “consideration of the sum of” write the total that is paid for the property, with words first and then numbers.
Step 6: After “in hand paid to,” write the grantor’s name. After the name, write the word “grantor.” Follow this with the grantor’s address, county, city, and state.
Step 7: Now you need to enter the grantee’s information. Find “hereby conveys and quitclaims to” and enter the name, address, county, city, and state of the grantee.
Step 8: After “Minnesota to-wit” write the property’s county again. Then record the address and legal description of the property in the space provided. Use attachments if needed.
Step 9: Mark whether or not the property qualifies for a Well Disclosure Statement. This area has three boxes. Mark the first box if the property has no wells. Mark the second box if the property requires a Well Disclosure Statement, and record the Well Disclosure Certificate number on the line. Mark the third box if the property has wells, but they have not changed since the last time the property received a Well Disclosure Certificate.
Step 10: The grantor now must take the deed to a notary and sign it. The grantor should indicate their status, such as married or single, when signing. After the signature, the grantor must put their address.
Step 11: Submit the form to the appropriate County Recorder’s Office. Be sure to include the appropriate disclosures. Pay the county’s filing fee.
Step 12: Submit the eCVR at the same time. This can be done online or with a paper form. It is required if the property is valued at $1,000 or more.