Consumer Alert! Overpriced Commercial Offer Arriving In Local Mailboxes

April 27, 2012

Consumer Alert! Overpriced Commercial Offer Arriving In Local Mailboxes

Allen County property owners began receiving a commercial solicitation in the mail yesterday (Thursday, April 26, 2012) offering to provide copies of their deed for $69.50.

This is a document that property owners do NOT need to have in their records and may already have in the documents pertaining to the close of sale on their home. They certainly do not have to pay $69.50 for the document. Copies of property deeds can be obtained from the Allen County Recorder's Office for $1-$2.

“These are public records that belong to our community,” said Allen County Recorder John McGauley. “A citizen who needs the deed to his or her property should never have to pay for more than the cost of a copy. We very much want citizens to know that these records are readily available in their local County Recorder’s Office, many times without even having to leave home.”

The Allen County Recorder’s Office will provide deed copies through the mail for $1 per page and a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Citizens can contact the recorder’s office to find out how many pages their deed is by e-mailing the property owner’s name, the property address and the approximate date of purchase to recorder@allencounty.us.

Property owners are not required to have a copy of the deed to their home. When a property is sold, the deed is traditionally retrieved by the title search company involved in that transaction.

John McGauley