Northampton County Personal Representative Deed Form (Pennsylvania)

All Northampton County specific forms and documents listed below are included in your immediate download package:

Personal Representative Deed Form

Northampton County Personal Representative Deed Form

Fill in the blank form formatted to comply with all recording and content requirements.
Included Northampton County compliant document last validated/updated 10/11/2024

Personal Representative Deed Guide

Northampton County Personal Representative Deed Guide

Line by line guide explaining every blank on the form.
Included Northampton County compliant document last validated/updated 10/15/2024

Completed Example of the Personal Representative Deed Document

Northampton County Completed Example of the Personal Representative Deed Document

Example of a properly completed form for reference.
Included Northampton County compliant document last validated/updated 10/7/2024

When using these Personal Representative Deed forms, the subject real estate must be physically located in Northampton County. The executed documents should then be recorded in the following office:

Recorder of Deeds Division - County Courthouse

669 Washington St, Rm L116, Easton, Pennsylvania 18042

Hours: 8:30am to 4:30pm M-F / until 4:00pm for PIN certification

Phone: (610) 829-6210

Local jurisdictions located in Northampton County include:

  • Ackermanville
  • Bangor
  • Bath
  • Bethlehem
  • Cherryville
  • Danielsville
  • Easton
  • Flicksville
  • Hellertown
  • Lehigh Valley
  • Martins Creek
  • Mount Bethel
  • Nazareth
  • Northampton
  • Pen Argyl
  • Portland
  • Stockertown
  • Tatamy
  • Treichlers
  • Walnutport
  • Wind Gap

How long does it take to get my forms?

Forms are available immediately after submitting payment.

How do I get my forms, are they emailed?

Immediately after you submit payment, the Northampton County forms you order will be available for download directly from your account. You can then download the forms to your computer. If you do not already have an account, one will be created for you as part of the order process, and your login details will be provided to you. If you encounter any issues accessing your forms, please reach out to our support team for assistance. Forms are NOT emailed to you.

What does "validated/updated" mean?

This indicates the most recent date when at least one of the following occurred:

  • Updated: The document was updated or changed to remain compliant.
  • Validated: The document was examined by an attorney or staff, or it was successfully recorded in Northampton County using our eRecording service.
Are these forms guaranteed to be recordable in Northampton County?

Yes. Our form blanks are guaranteed to meet or exceed all formatting requirements set forth by Northampton County including margin requirements, content requirements, font and font size requirements.

Can the Personal Representative Deed forms be re-used?

Yes. You can re-use the forms for your personal use. For example, if you have more than one property in Northampton County that you need to transfer you would only need to order our forms once for all of your properties in Northampton County.

What are supplemental forms?

Often when a deed is recorded, additional documents are required by Pennsylvania or Northampton County. These could be tax related, informational, or even as simple as a coversheet. Supplemental forms are provided for free with your order where available.

What type of files are the forms?

All of our Northampton County Personal Representative Deed forms are PDFs. You will need to have or get Adobe Reader to use our forms. Adobe Reader is free software that most computers already have installed.

Do I need any special software to use these forms?

You will need to have Adobe Reader installed on your computer to use our forms. Adobe Reader is free software that most computers already have installed.

Do I have to enter all of my property information online?

No. The blank forms are downloaded to your computer and you fill them out there, at your convenience.

Can I save the completed form, email it to someone?

Yes, you can save your deed form at any point with your information in it. The forms can also be emailed, blank or complete, as attachments.

Are there any recurring fees involved?

No. Nothing to cancel, no memberships, no recurring fees.

Using a Personal Representative's Deed in Pennsylvania
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The information provided in this article is not meant to be exhaustive, and should not take the place of legal advice. We strongly recommend consulting a lawyer when administering an estate, as each situation is unique. Personal representatives have a fiduciary duty to serve in the estate's best interests, and are "personally liable for undue mistakes made in the administration of the decedent's estate" [1].
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When Pennsylvania residents die, their estate is admitted to probate, regardless of whether they left a will. A will is a legal document whereby a person (testator) gives directions for the distribution of personal assets upon death, and identifies who will administer the estate. Probate is the legal process of distributing assets. In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, this process, also referred to as estate administration, is governed by Title 20 et seq. of the Pennsylvania Code (Decedents, Estates, and Fiduciaries).

A probate case begins with the Register of Wills for the county where the deceased claimed permanent residence. Those with property situated in two or more counties also require ancillary probate proceedings. The decedent's will, if one exists, is recorded at this time, along with supporting documents (ex. death certificate, affidavit of subscribing or non-subscribing witness, petition for grant of letters). Pennsylvania implements an expedited probate for estates valued under $50,000.

Upon petition for grant of letters, the Register of Wills issues letters of administration or letters testamentary, depending on whether the decedent died testate (with a will) or intestate (without a will). The letters are a document granting formal authority to the fiduciary who will administer the estate, and are filed as part of the probate case. Fiduciaries may also obtain a short certificate from the Register certifying their capacity to administer the decedent's estate.

This fiduciary is known generally as a "personal representative," or more specifically as either an executor (or executrix, if female) or an administrator. The term "executor" is used when the decedent died with a will and named an executor. The term "administrator" is used when (1) the decedent died without a will (2) the decedent died testate but failed to name an executor in the will, or (3) the decedent died with a will and named an executor, but the executor failed or ceased service. In short, an executor is someone designated by will as the personal representative, whereas an administrator is someone appointed by the Register.

All assets owned solely by the decedent must go through probate. Concerning real property, when the decedent vests title as a sole owner or as a tenant in common, the real property will need to go through probate before it can be distributed by the personal representative. Real property vested with rights of survivorship between or among joint tenants or between husband and wife as tenants by the entirety automatically vests in the surviving joint tenant(s) or spouse. Property held in trust may also avoid probate.

The personal representative has several responsibilities as fiduciary, including submitting a comprehensive inventory of the estate, filing a Pennsylvania Inheritance Tax Return, giving notice to beneficiaries, and paying any debts, before any distribution of assets can occur. Depending on the situation, this process may take several months, so seek legal advice to ensure that all requisite steps are met.

When the decedent leaves instructions for the succession of real property, the named beneficiaries in the will are called devisees. When there is no will, Pennsylvania laws of intestacy determine the succession of the decedent's real property, with title flowing to the decedent's heirs at law. Depending on the situation, the personal representative may sell the decedent's real property [2].

In Pennsylvania, both executors and administrators use the personal representative's deed to distribute or sell real property. As with other types of deeds executed by grantors in a representative capacity (such as trustee's deeds), the personal representative's deed in Pennsylvania typically carries a special warranty, covenanting that the grantor will warrant and defend the property against the lawful claims and demands of the grantor or grantors, and all persons claiming or to claim by, through, or under him or them (21 P.S. 6). The special warranty is fitting for grantors who are transferring property indirectly, or on behalf of, an estate, as they may not have comprehensive knowledge of the title's history prior to the decedent's death.

The deed identifies the acting personal representative as either an executor or administrator, as well as the decedent and date of death. In addition to the grantee and vesting information, legal description of the subject property, and title derivation required for documents pertaining to interests in real property, the personal representative's deed cites the date of the testator's will, if any; the date of probate; the county of probate; the file or case number; and the name of the personal representative.

The deed is signed by the acting representative in the presence of a notary public and recorded in the county Register of Deeds in which the subject real property is situated. Additional notices may be required in Pennsylvania concerning coal and mine subsidence, and supporting documents such as a death certificate and a short certificate may be required to verify the personal representative's authority to convey real property.
To formally close probate, the personal representative must file a report of completion with the register of wills.

If administration of estate not complete within two years of the decedent's date of death, the personal representative may have to file a status report with Register of Wills.

See more forms relating to estate administration at http://www.revenue.pa.gov/FormsandPublications/FormsforIndividuals/Pages/Inheritance-Tax.aspx#.WFABK-YrLIU.

Contact a lawyer with questions regarding estate administration and probate in Pennsylvania.

[1] http://www.whiteandwilliams.com/resources-alerts-Personal-Representatives-and-Fiduciaries-Executors-Administrators-and-Trustees-and-Their-Duties.html
[2] http://www.stallardlawoffice.com/single-post/2015/09/19/Posts-on-Pennsylvania-Real-Property-Title-Death-Wills-and-Joint-Ownership

(Pennsylvania PRD Package includes form, guidelines, and completed example)

Our Promise

The documents you receive here will meet, or exceed, the Northampton County recording requirements for formatting. If there's an issue caused by our formatting, we'll make it right and refund your payment.

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Get your Northampton County Personal Representative Deed form done right the first time with Deeds.com Uniform Conveyancing Blanks. At Deeds.com, we understand that your time and money are valuable resources, and we don't want you to face a penalty fee or rejection imposed by a county recorder for submitting nonstandard documents. We constantly review and update our forms to meet rapidly changing state and county recording requirements for roughly 3,500 counties and local jurisdictions.

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James S.

November 21st, 2024

Forms used, created quitclaim deed that the county accepted without a second look (turns out they see deeds.com forms regularly via erecording and in person). Will be back for any real estate related forms I need and they carry. Will always be my first stop. Also, will use erecording next time, mad I didn't see it this time.

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November 21st, 2024

Wasn’t what I expected

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November 20th, 2024

They sent me everything I would need to do this. Easy purchase -Easy download. Great!! I'll be back here for all my document needs.

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September 19th, 2019

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November 24th, 2020

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August 20th, 2020

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November 18th, 2019

Completed, notarized, and recorded with no issues.

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October 21st, 2020

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April 11th, 2019

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April 3rd, 2019

So far so good --- I'm helping a friend with her property! Thanks!

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December 30th, 2021

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June 15th, 2021

Very easy to use and no hidden costs. You get to download whatever you need and can save it and even reuse it. So it's like having your own library of form that you pay for once. They even give you more related forms than you ask for and it turned out we needed some if those forms as well. The forms meet what our county requires for margins in records and so on. So I will use deeds.com again when I need a different kind of legal form.

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May 22nd, 2019

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