The concept of escrow accounts concerns every individual who wishes to buy a property or settle a purchase agreement. In general, it is a kind of bank account that is operated under the control of a third party, which is mostly the seller or a mortgage servicing company. It is a transient pass-through account used to hold transactions between buyers and sellers. Every individual must know how to set up this account safely. Since the credibility of the third party managing this account matters in this case, one must choose an escrow account in India wisely. 

Opening An Escrow Account: Step-By-Step Guide 

Escrow accounts are generally classified into different sections. One may have to identify his needs and requirements beforehand to open a suitable account. In all these cases, one party is uncertain about the other party’s capability of fulfilling the obligations set for the terms of the transaction. 

Steps To Open A Real Estate Escrow Account 

  • For real estate transactions, the account holder needs to meet certain conditions set by the real estate agent or the payee of the amount. Therefore, one needs to identify his need for opening this account. 
  • Go through the purchase agreement of the property to see if the seller has mentioned any particular escrow company or not. 
  • If there is the liberty to choose an escrow independently, one should analyse the market to find the most reliable one. 
  • Once done, gather the necessary information and collect all the required documents needed to open the account. Since the information is likely to vary from one company to another, it is essential to read the list of requirements thoroughly. 
  • Visit the nearest office of the escrow company to complete the account opening process. Nowadays, people may also prefer using the online system for this purpose. 
  • Note down the escrow number provided by the service provider for further transactions and formalities. 

Steps To Open A Rent Escrow Account 

  • A rent escrow account is for covering the repairing costs and charges that may incur during the process. However, this account is not valid for costs that may incur due to minor repairs. It should account for a substantial threat to the tenants living in the apartment. 
  • Notify the landlord about the same by sending a written legal notice to his address. 
  • Set a time to see whether the landlord acts upon the notice or not. If there is no information, the tenant can proceed to take action and move to the courthouse to process the account. 
  • Get a petition form from the nearest clerk desk and complete all the required formalities to submit it properly. 
  • Attend the scheduled hearing and do the needful to process transactions from the account. 

Creating A Personal Escrow Account 

  • A personal escrow account is for people who have trouble managing and controlling their expenses. The benefit of this account is there is no need to authorise any third party to oversee this account. 
  • One can simply connect all the real estate and rent-related liabilities to this account to process smoother transactions. 
  • Calculate all the insurance and tax liabilities beforehand to simplify the transactions. 
  • Complete the formalities and process the payments using this account for better financial management. It is the responsibility of the account holder to follow the transactions of this account. 

The Final Say 

Opening an escrow account becomes essential for people involved in any form of the given transactions. However, one should be careful of the third party he chooses. Since the role of the facilitator of the account is quite crucial here, one should make a wise choice of the service provider. 

By Claire David White

Claire White: Claire, a consumer psychologist, offers unique insights into consumer behavior and market research in her blog.