LLC & Corporation
Deed in California
Move a rental or investment property into an LLC, S-corp, or C-corp to shield it from lawsuit exposure — while keeping your Proposition 13 base. We prepare the grant deed with the proportional-ownership recital the County Assessor needs, flat $400, e-recorded same business day in all 58 California counties.
What an entity deed does — LLC, corporation, or other legal entity
An entity deed transfers California real estate between an individual and a legal entity — an LLC, an S-corp or C-corp, a partnership, or another company. The most common version is a grant deed moving a rental or investment property from you personally into an LLC or corporation you own, so the entity holds title and your personal assets sit behind a liability shield. California attorneys typically charge $1,000–$2,500 to prepare and record one; TruPoint Legal does it for a flat $400.
The detail that decides whether it costs you anything in tax is proportional ownership. When the people who owned the property keep the exact same percentages in the entity afterward, the transfer is excluded from property tax reassessment and your Proposition 13 base carries over. Change the percentages — even slightly — and the County Assessor can treat it as a sale and reassess the whole property to today’s market value.
The same rule cuts the other way for corporations and multi-member LLCs: if more than half of the ownership interest changes hands, the entity’s real estate is reassessed. That is why a corporate reorganization, a new shareholder, or a spouse added to an LLC has to be structured and recorded carefully.
We prepare the grant deed to your county recorder’s exact format, include the proportional-ownership recital the Assessor needs, confirm the entity is the correct grantee with an authorized signer, verify the legal description, complete the Preliminary Change of Ownership Report, and e-record the same business day in any of California’s 58 counties.
Prepared by Quinnie Do, Registered Legal Document Assistant #268, Santa Clara County (verify .gov ↗) — California Notary Public, IRS Tax Preparer, and licensed California Real Estate Agent.
An LLC or corporation puts a wall between your rentals and your personal assets
Lawsuit liability shield
If a tenant or visitor sues over an injury at the property, a properly maintained LLC or corporation generally limits the claim to the entity’s assets — not your home, savings, or other properties.
Separation between properties
Holding each rental, or a portfolio, in its own entity keeps a problem at one property from reaching the others. Risk is segmented, not pooled.
Cleaner ownership & succession
Entity interests can be transferred or passed to heirs by assigning membership or shares — often simpler and more private than re-deeding the real estate each time.
Professional standing
Holding rentals in an LLC or corporation reads as a real business to tenants, lenders, and partners — and keeps personal and rental finances cleanly separate.
Six California LLC and corporation deed situations
Single rental to a single-member LLC
Move one rental from your name into an LLC you fully own. Same owner, same percentage — no reassessment when recorded correctly.
Multi-property portfolio
Place several rentals into one entity, or each into its own, to segment risk across the portfolio. Each deed prepared and recorded to county format.
Spouse-owned property to a joint LLC
One spouse on title moving to a two-member LLC is the classic trap. The percentages must line up first, or the whole property is reassessed.
Inherited property into an entity
Move inherited California real estate into an LLC or corporation for management and protection, with the ownership recital handled correctly.
Corporation real-estate holding
Transfer property into — or out of — an S-corp or C-corp, including affiliated-corporation transfers and corporate reorganizations, with an authorized officer signing.
LLC interest into a living trust
Place your LLC membership interest into your living trust so the entity — and the property it holds — passes without probate.
The wrong entity deed can reassess your property
A transfer into an LLC or corporation is excluded from reassessment only when the ownership lines up exactly and the deed says so. Miss that and the Assessor treats it as a change in ownership — reassessing the property to current market value and raising the tax bill permanently. The three most common ways it goes wrong:
Ownership percentages don’t match
Transferring from one owner into a two-member LLC, or to percentages that don’t mirror the prior title, is read as a sale — full reassessment.
More than half the entity changes hands
A new shareholder, a corporate reorganization, or a buyout that moves over 50% of the interest can reassess all of the entity’s real estate.
Missing the ownership recital
Without the proportional-ownership language and the Preliminary Change of Ownership Report, the Assessor has no basis to apply the exclusion — so it reassesses.
California entity deed cost — flat $400
California real estate attorneys typically charge $1,000–$2,500 to prepare and record an entity deed with the right exclusion recital, with consultation billed separately. A wrong transfer can reassess the property $11,000–$15,000 a year, permanently. TruPoint Legal prepares it right the first time at a flat fee.
- Grant deed prepared to County Recorder format — into or out of any LLC, S-corp, or C-corp
- Proportional-ownership recital so a qualifying transfer isn’t reassessed
- Authorized-signer and entity-grantee details confirmed
- Legal description verified against the existing record
- Preliminary Change of Ownership Report prepared
- Same-day e-recording in any of 58 California counties
- County recording — primary/owner-occupied home$65
- County recording — investment/rental property$145
- Title search (optional)$30
- Prop 19 BOE-19-P form (parent-child / grandparent-grandchild exclusion)$100
- Prop 13 exclusion forms (base-year-value transfer)$100
- Documentary transfer tax declarationIncluded
- Same-day e-recording$50
- Notarization (per signature)$15
- San Francisco transfer-tax affidavit (San Francisco County only)$50
- Homestead declaration (on request)$15
These are county and third-party fees, separate from our flat preparation fee. We itemize every applicable fee for your specific transfer before you commit.
Why a DIY or AI-built entity deed is a gamble with your tax base and your title
An entity deed looks like a one-page grant deed, which is exactly why people generate one from a template or an AI tool — and exactly why so many landlords accidentally reassess the very property they were trying to protect. The deed records fine; the reassessment notice arrives months later. We walk you through your options and you decide which fits. But if a flat fee matters more to you than your Proposition 13 base and a clean title, you can prepare your own — just understand what’s at risk.
Ownership percentages don’t carry over
DIY and AI deeds transfer from one individual straight into a multi-member LLC or corporation without matching the prior ownership first, so the Assessor sees a change in ownership.
Full reassessment to today’s market value — often $11,000–$15,000 a year in added property tax, permanently.
The entity isn’t named or signed correctly
A corporation deed needs the exact registered entity name as grantee and an authorized officer to sign; an LLC needs an authorized member or manager. Online templates routinely get this wrong.
A deed the County rejects, or one that’s later challenged as invalid — clouding title until a court or corrective deed fixes it.
More than half the entity quietly changes hands
Adding a shareholder or member, or a corporate reorganization, can move over 50% of the interest and trigger reassessment of all the entity’s property. DIY filers never see it coming.
Reassessment of every property the entity holds — a tax increase that careful structuring would have avoided.
The due-on-sale clause is ignored
Most mortgages contain a due-on-sale clause. Moving title into an entity without accounting for it can give the lender a reason to act. AI tools don’t flag it.
A lender demand or refinance scramble at the worst time — a complication a reviewed transfer plans around.
Why an AI-generated entity deed without human review is a gamble
An AI tool or online kit can produce a grant deed in minutes — but it can’t confirm your post-transfer ownership percentages mirror the prior title, name the exact registered entity as grantee with the right authorized signer, add the proportional-ownership recital your County Assessor needs, or catch that adding a member pushes you past the change-in-control line. It can’t see your mortgage’s due-on-sale clause or that your county rejects a certain format. A deed that records without the exclusion recital is still recorded — you don’t find out until the reassessment notice arrives, and by then the fix means re-recording and fighting the Assessor. Every TruPoint Legal entity deed is prepared and reviewed by a human Registered Legal Document Assistant who has filed thousands of these — nothing records here without a trained person checking the ownership math, the entity details, and the county’s actual requirements.
How to transfer property to an LLC or corporation — 4 steps
Tell us the transfer
Which property, which entity (LLC, S-corp, or C-corp), who owns what before and after. We confirm the percentages line up so the transfer qualifies for the exclusion.
We prepare the deed
We draft the grant deed to your county’s format with the proportional-ownership recital, name the entity correctly as grantee, confirm the authorized signer, and prepare the PCOR.
Sign & notarize
The authorized member, manager, or officer signs before a notary — in our San Jose office or by mobile notary. Notarization is $15 per signature.
Same-day e-recording
We e-record with the County Recorder — same business day when signed before noon — and send you the recorded copy.
Prepared by Quinnie Do
Quinnie founded TruPoint Legal to make California property paperwork accessible to working investors and families — including Vietnamese and Spanish-speaking landlords quoted thousands to move a rental into an LLC. Personally trilingual in English and Vietnamese, with a Spanish-speaking staff partner, she has prepared thousands of deeds and entity transfers since 2020. Four California licenses under one roof means your entity deed is checked for the ownership math, the authorized signer, the tax treatment, and the recording — not handed off four times.
Verify LDA #268 on the Santa Clara County Clerk-Recorder website ↗ · View CALDA member profile ↗
Trusted by California investors and property owners
“Quinnie was extremely helpful and professional. She made sure everything had been done correctly and in a timely manner. The fee was very reasonable. Highly recommend.”
“Great experience working with TruPoint Legal. Fast turnaround, fair pricing, and the documents were prepared correctly the first time. Would use again.”
“Professional, knowledgeable, and responsive. They handled our property paperwork smoothly and explained every step. Excellent service at a fair price.”
Need a notary or apostille to sign your entity deed?
Your entity deed has to be signed before a notary by the authorized member, manager, or officer. Our same-office partner Fingerscan Digital handles entity-deed signing notary — plus California apostille for foreign owners whose corporate documents are used abroad — all from the same San Jose location at 434 Blossom Hill Road. Sign and record in one visit.
Common questions about LLC and corporation deeds
Answers in plain English. If your situation isn’t here, schedule a consultation and we’ll walk through it.
Does transferring property to an LLC trigger reassessment in California?
Not if the ownership stays proportional. When the people who owned the property keep the exact same percentages in the LLC after the transfer, it is excluded from property tax reassessment and your Proposition 13 base carries over. If the percentages change — for example moving from one individual owner into a two-member LLC — the County Assessor can reassess the whole property to current market value.
Does transferring property to a corporation trigger reassessment?
The same proportional-ownership rule applies. A transfer into an S-corp or C-corp where the owners keep identical interests is generally excluded, but if more than 50% of the corporation’s ownership changes hands — a new shareholder, a buyout, or a reorganization — the corporation’s California real estate can be reassessed. The deed and ownership recital have to be prepared with that in mind.
How do I transfer my rental property into an LLC in California?
You record a grant deed transferring title from yourself to the LLC, with the proportional-ownership recital and a Preliminary Change of Ownership Report so a qualifying transfer isn’t reassessed. The deed must name the exact registered entity and be signed by an authorized member or manager. TruPoint Legal prepares and e-records it for a flat $400.
How much does an LLC or corporation deed cost in California?
TruPoint Legal prepares an entity deed — LLC, S-corp, or C-corp — for a flat $400. County recording fees ($65 for an owner-occupied home, $145 for investment property) and optional add-ons are separate and itemized. California attorneys typically charge $1,000 to $2,500 for the same deed.
What’s the difference between transferring property to an LLC and a corporation?
The deed mechanics are similar — a grant deed naming the entity as grantee — but the signing authority and tax treatment differ. An LLC deed is signed by an authorized member or manager; a corporation deed by an authorized officer. Both follow the same Proposition 13 proportional-ownership and change-in-control rules. We confirm which entity type you have and prepare the deed accordingly.
What happens if my LLC ownership percentages don’t match the original title?
The transfer is treated as a change in ownership and the property is reassessed to current market value. A common example is one spouse holding title alone and deeding into a 50/50 LLC — the mismatch triggers reassessment unless the ownership is aligned first. This is the single most common entity-deed mistake, and the reason the deed needs the correct recital.
Can I transfer property out of an LLC or corporation back to an individual?
Yes. A grant deed moves the property from the entity back to an individual — for selling, refinancing, dissolving the entity, or distributing to an owner — signed by the authorized member, manager, or officer. TruPoint Legal prepares this transfer-out deed for the same flat $400 and e-records it the same business day.
Does moving property into an LLC affect my mortgage?
It can. Most mortgages contain a due-on-sale clause, and moving title into an entity is a transfer the lender could act on. In practice many lenders do not enforce it when payments continue, and some loans allow transfers to a borrower-controlled LLC. We flag the consideration so you can plan the transfer around it rather than be surprised.
Can a Legal Document Assistant prepare an LLC or corporation deed?
Yes. A California Registered Legal Document Assistant can prepare and e-record an entity deed at your direction. TruPoint Legal is LDA #268, Santa Clara County, registered and bonded, and records in any of California’s 58 counties at a flat $400. For forming the entity itself, see our separate LLC formation service.
Entity deed services also available in Tiếng Việt · Español · We speak English
Pair your entity deed with the right next step
Forming the entity, funding a trust, or comparing deed types — here’s where to go next.
LLC Formation & Business Filing
Don’t have the entity yet? We form your California LLC first — then deed the property into it.
Form the entity →Quitclaim Deed
Transfer between family or trusted parties with no warranty — add or remove a name, or gift property.
Quitclaim transfers →Interspousal Transfer Deed
Aligning spousal ownership before the entity transfer? Move the home between spouses with no reassessment.
Spousal transfers →Trust Transfer Deed
Place your LLC interest or property into a living trust so it passes without probate.
Fund a trust →Living Trust Packages
Planning the whole estate? A living trust holds your entity interests and keeps them out of probate.
Estate planning →All Deed Transfers & Recording
Compare every California deed type and our same-day e-recording in all 58 counties.
Deed hub →Ready to move your California rental into an LLC or corporation?
Flat $400, prepared and reviewed by a human Registered Legal Document Assistant, e-recorded same business day in all 58 California counties. Protect the property without reassessing it.