Recertification Vs. New ALTA Survey When Refinancing Commercial Property 

09/14/2026 10:13 AM       Mark Goodman

If you own commercial property, there are a bevy of reasons why it may be in your best interest to refinance your current commercial loan.  

There are some additional costs you’ll want to consider when refinancing your commercial loan, and one such expense is the cost of ordering another ALTA survey. Even though you own the property and perhaps nothing of note has changed, your lender is likely going to require proof that there aren’t title issues lurking beneath the surface. They typically do this with recertification or a new ALTA survey. We take a closer look at these two options when refinancing your commercial loan.

There’s a possibility that you haven’t done much to the property that could trigger new title issues, but the fact of the matter is that when you’re refinancing, you’re taking out a new loan that the lender will want insured with a title insurance policy. As part of their risk management, they want to work with the most up-to-date information, so relying on outdated information, even if the survey is only a few years old, isn’t a risk they’ll want to take. 

However, instead of ordering a brand new ALTA survey, your lender may allow a previous survey to be recertified. Essentially, this means that the company who conducted the original survey reassesses the property to offer an opinion or confirmation that the original survey is still in good standing. Talk with your lender and your title company to see if recertification is an option ahead of your refinance. 

Many lenders will prefer or require that a borrower get a new ALTA survey when refinancing simply to ensure they have the most updated information when providing a loan. As you can expect, this will be a bit more time consuming and expensive, so it’s wise to get the ball rolling on this sooner rather than later if you’re hoping to move the refinancing process along. 

We’ve helped plenty of clients refinance their commercial property so that they can be in a better financial position, and we can do the same for you. For more information, reach out to the team at Commercial Partners today at (612) 337-2470.