DON'T BE DEED SCAMMED!

Consider that you receive a somewhat official-looking letter in the mail: The opening statement says "Our records indicate from public information that Property Deed Document #123456, recorded May 3, 2007, indicates your ownership interest in the property located at 123 Anywhere Street, Denver, Colorado, Denver County".

Your first impression would be "Yes, I bought that house on that date".

The letter goes on to say that you should have received the paperwork that transferred the title from the seller of the property to you.

Your mind races back and you think to yourself "Yes, I saw that paperwork".  You may even go to your records and sort through them for this document.

You find a COPY of the warranty deed, but you don't find anything else called a CERTIFIED COPY.

Then the letter goes on to state that the US Government Federal Citizen Information Center recommends you should have one-as if the US Government Federal Citizen Information Center is endorsing what they are doing.

And now that they have you completely misled, they tell you that for a mere cost of $70, you can apply to them directly to get a certified copy of this important document.

You sigh to yourself "Now all will be well".  You fill out the form, send them a check or give them your credit card information and wait for your official document.

What these companies are doing is not illegal-just misleading.  Don't be led astray!  There is no real benefit to having a certified copy of your warranty deed.  A signed copy of the warranty deed should have been provided to the buyer at closing by the title company that closed the transaction, and this is sufficient for most day-to-day needs (i.e., setting up HOA accounts, school requirements, etc.).

What they fail to state in their letter is that the US Government Federal Citizen Information Center website also has a notice posted on their website regarding these types of companies: "You DO NOT have to use a private company to obtain a certified copy of the deed to your home and in MANY STATES you can obtain one from your local Register of Deed for free or at a low cost".

So if for some reason you truly feel like you need a certified copy of the deed, it can be obtained directly from the Clerk and Recorder in the county in which it was recorded for a small fee.  The fee can vary from county to county, but generally is .25 cents a page for the document, and then a $1.25 certification fee - a far cry from the $69.50 National Deed Service is charging.

Source-Jeff Little, President of Trinity Title