It’s easy for co-signers to get off a home’s title, but it doesn’t affect their mortgage obligations.

Q: I co-signed my son’s loan application two years ago, and my name was added to the title of his home. Now I would like to have my name removed from the title. How do I accomplish this? Also, by removing my name, will my status as a co-signer change?

A: It’s easy to remove your name from the title to your son’s home, but it won’t change your status as a co-signer.

To get off the title, you simply must sign a notarized quitclaim deed to the home and then have the deed recorded with the county.

A local real estate attorney should have the necessary paperwork, and the entire process should take no more than an hour or two.

Removing your name from the title will not eliminate the bank’s ability to force you to make your son’s payments if he defaults.

You agreed to make those payments when you co-signed, and dropping your name from the title won’t relieve you from that obligation. Your name is on the loan documents, and that’s all the bank needs to hold you liable.

Q: Could you please explain how the “adverse possession” laws work? Also, could I use adverse possession to take a small county-owned lot next to my house that I have used to park my RV on for the past several years?

A: I’m happy to explain how the legal concept of adverse possession works, but you probably won’t be able to use it to claim the county-owned land as your own.

Let’s say that you and I are neighbors, and that you have a vegetable garden that extends across our common property line and into my yard. After a certain number of years had passed, you could use the state’s adverse possession laws to go to court and ask a judge to give you permanent ownership of the part of the garden that stands on my side of the property. The legal theory is that I essentially abandoned my ownership rights to the space because I never told you to stop using my property for your own purposes.

The length of time that must pass before someone can claim adverse possession varies from state to state. In some states, it’s just a few years: In others, it’s more than 10 or even 20.

Each state also sets a number of other requirements that must be met, so it’s important for someone who wants to claim adverse possession to first consult with a skilled real estate attorney.

Unfortunately for you, both state and federal laws virtually bar the public from using adverse possession to take control of government-owned property, railroads and public utilities

This means that you cannot try to take over the county-owned lot next to your home, even though you have used it as a parking spot for your recreational vehicle for several years and the county has never hassled you about it.

Q: Is a “debit bureau” the same thing as a credit bureau?

A: No. A credit bureau gathers information about how you handle your credit. A debit bureau tracks your checking-account record, with a special emphasis on whether you have a tendency to bounce checks.

Banks often order both types of reports before they’ll open a new checking account for a potential customer.

Q: We have a wood floor in our living room. It’s very beautiful, but it squeaks in certain areas when we walk across it. Do you know how to make it stop squeaking?

A: The officials at a Missouri-based trade association called the National Wood Flooring Association (woodfloors.org) gives this advice: Most squeaks can usually be fixed by squeezing talcum powder, liquid wax or powdered graphite between the adjacent floor strips where the noise occurs.

You will need to call in an expert if the problem persists. Squeaking in an area that’s more than a foot or two wide sometimes indicates that the subfloor has come loose and must be reattached to the floor joists — a job that will cost a lot more than a bottle of talcum powder.