My wife insists her mom has no deed to her property. How do we obtain one?

Her mom grew up here and we've helped her build this new house on the same spot, and now we want to live here and take over possession but my wife insists there's nothing to take over and I insist there is or should be a way to obtain such but I don't know what it's called or how to go about it. The house and property is in a sitio and has a house number and has been labeled with census papers and gets electricity and water and even has a fence around the property. How can we live here, settle down and improve the house and property when we don't own the land and conceivably could be kicked off at any time?