How to skip trace an LLC.
When the deed says "123 Main Street LLC", you need the person behind it. Here is where to look, in order.
Why an LLC hides the owner
Plenty of rentals and inherited houses are held in an LLC. The county record then shows a company name, not a person. A skip trace needs a person, so the name on the deed is a dead end on its own.
The good news: an LLC has to file paperwork with the state, and the property still gets a tax bill from the county. Both are public records. Between them, you can usually find a real name and a real mailing address. That is how to skip trace an LLC.
Step 1: Search the secretary of state records
Every state has a free business search, usually run by the secretary of state. Type in the LLC's exact name from the deed. Look at the status (active or not), the formation date, and the list of filings.
An LLC can be formed in one state and registered to do business in another. If the record in the property's state lists a different home state, search that state too. The home state's filings often say more.
Step 2: Read the registered agent
Every LLC must name a registered agent: the person or company that accepts legal papers for it. This is the first name you will see on the state record.
- A person's name at a home address is often the owner, or a family member of the owner.
- A law firm or an accountant works for the owner. They will not hand out the owner's number, so do not treat them as the seller.
- A company that is a registered agent service is not the owner. Skip it and move to step 3.
Step 3: Open the annual reports
Most states make an LLC file a yearly or every-other-year report. Many of these list a member, a manager or an officer by name, plus a principal office address. Open the most recent one first, then older ones.
Also open the original formation filing. The organizer who signed it is sometimes the owner. Other times it is a lawyer, which tells you to keep looking.
Step 4: Check the county assessor mailing address
The county sends the property tax bill to a mailing address on file. For an LLC, that address is often the owner's home or office, not a registered agent. Look it up on the county assessor or tax collector site.
Compare it with what you found on the state record. If the tax mailing address matches a member's address from the annual report, you have your person. It is also worth searching the county records for that mailing address, because an owner with one LLC often has more properties going to the same place.
Step 5: Skip trace the person, not the company
Now you have a name and a mailing address for a real person. That is a normal skip trace. Drop the name and address into your tool and pull the phone numbers.
In Tracepoint, each number comes back tagged with how it was tied to the owner, so you can judge it before you call. A new account gets 5,000 lookups free, one time, no card. Before the first call, check the number against your do-not-call list; the DNC scrubbing guide shows how.
When you hit a wall
Some LLCs are set up so the public filings name no owner at all. A few things still help:
- Recorded deeds and mortgages. The county recorder keeps these. They are often signed by a named member or manager on the LLC's behalf.
- An LLC owned by another LLC. Repeat steps 1 to 4 for the parent company until you reach a person.
- Mail. A letter to the tax mailing address, addressed to the LLC, still reaches whoever pays the tax bill.
Many LLC owners are also absentee owners, so read skip tracing absentee owners next. For the basic walkthrough, see how to skip trace a property, and for the full workflow, see skip tracing for wholesalers.