AG COAKLEY
ADVISES HOMEOWNERS TO BE CAUTIOUS OF
“DEED COLLECTION SERVICES”
BOSTON – Massachusetts Attorney General
Martha Coakley is cautioning residents to beware of companies demanding money
to obtain a copy of a deed to a home.
Mail solicitations from so-called “deed
collection services” offer to sell homeowners a copy of the deed to their home
at rates between $50 and $90. The solicitations sometimes appear to be from a
government office or look like an invoice, demanding payment or compliance by a
specific date. However, homeowners should know they are not obliged to pay
these entities or to purchase a copy of their deed. Most homeowners receive a
copy of the deed to their property at the closing for the purchase of their
home. Homeowners can also obtain a copy of their deed for free or for a nominal
fee, by visiting the Registry of Deeds in person or online.
“Homeowners should not spend a
significant amount of money to obtain a copy of the deed to their home,” AG
Coakley said. “We advise residents to contact their local registry with
questions.”
To date, a number of companies have solicited Massachusetts homeowners to
purchase copies of the deeds to their homes at significantly more than the
actual cost of obtaining the documents, including Record Transfer Services,
Record Retrieval Department, Proxy Data Retrieval LLC, National Record Service,
and Property Transfer Services.
In order to obtain a copy of the deed to
their home, homeowners may:
·
Go
to the Registry of Deeds in person, where copies are available for a minimal
copying fee (generally $0.50 per page). Should a consumer desire a certified
copy of their deed, they can obtain one from the appropriate Registry of Deeds
for only a few dollars.
- Visit
the Registry of Deeds’ website, where homeowners typically can download a
copy free of charge, or for a small fee. Homeowners can find their
local Registry of Deeds via the Secretary of State’s Office, at http://www.sec.state.ma.us/rod/.
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