Erie County Clerk
Press Releases

09/13/07

County Clerk Cautions Homeowners About Mail Solicitation

Also Alerts NYS Attorney General

Erie County Clerk Kathy Hochul has issued a public service announcement cautioning all Erie County property holders regarding a solicitation recently sent to homeowners by New York Record Retrieval, Inc. and NY Certified Deed Service, both private, non-governmental entities.

The letters offer to procure a certified copy of a property owners deed for $65.00 plus $4.95 for postage or for $59.00, depending on the company, on the premise that "[t]he U.S. Government Federal Citizen Information Center website recommends that property owners should have an official or certified copy of their deed."

In examining the solicitation, Hochul wants to assure homeowners that most of them probably have the original recorded deed in their possession, which is the best evidence of their title and which is superior to an "official or certified copy." The normal processing procedures of the Clerk's Office returns the original deed to the property owner or their attorney. Hochul suggests that property owners who do not have their deed contact their attorney or the Clerk's office.

More importantly, however, for those who may not have their original deed, is that the cost of having a certified copy produced at the Erie County Clerk's Office is in the range of $6.00, far less than either of the private companies charge.

Hochul points out that while the solicitation also states, "[m]any government records are available free or at a nominal cost from government agencies", it does not specify "deeds" as such a record or the fact that the Federal Citizen Information Center states: "you should check with the appropriate government agency to see if they will provide the same information free or at a lower price."

Expressing concern about the letters, Hochul forwarded the information to NYS Attorney General Andrew Cuomo for review.

County Clerk Hochul concluded: "Our customers need to know that by directly contacting my office for their deeds, County taxpayers will avoid unnecessary expenses."