Received an Official-Looking Demand for Deed Records After Closing? Throw It Away.

The dust has finally settled. You survived the closing, you're mostly unpacked, and you are starting to enjoy your new Staten Island home.

Then you open the mailbox.

Sitting among the bills and magazines is a very official-looking envelope. Inside is a letter that appears to be a government invoice. It lists your new address, the date you bought the house, and some scary language about "property records" or "deed compliancy." It demands a payment—usually between $80 and $120—to secure a "certified copy" of your deed.

Many new homeowners panic, assume they missed a fee at closing, write a check, and mail it off.

Please don't do that.

If you receive one of these letters, you should do exactly what I tell my clients to do when they call me in a panic about them: tear it up and throw it in the recycling bin.

It Is a Solicitation, Not a Bill

These letters are one of the most common, annoying scams targeting new homeowners.

Here is what is actually happening: Private companies scan public records to see who recently bought a house. They grab your name and new address and send you this very official-looking junk mail.

If you get out a magnifying glass and look at the very bottom of the page, you will usually find fine print admitting that they are not a government agency and that this is a solicitation for services, not a mandatory bill. They are hoping you won't read the fine print.

They are charging you a massive markup for a service you do not need.

You Do Not Need a "Certified Copy" of Your Deed

There are two reasons why paying $95 for this service is a bad idea.

1. The Price is Outrageous

These companies are charging huge fees for a document that is incredibly cheap to obtain. If, for some reason, you absolutely needed a certified copy of your deed right this second, you could walk into the Richmond County Clerk's office and get one yourself. The fee depends on the page count, but it is almost always under $20.00.

2. Recording Is Ownership

More importantly, almost nobody ever actually needs an official certified copy of their deed anyway.

In modern real estate, your ownership is confirmed the moment your deed is officially recorded in the public records with the County Clerk. That public record is your proof of ownership, not the piece of paper in your file cabinet. Even if you never received the original deed, or if you lost it in a fire ten years from now, you still own your house because the public record says you do.

I Already Took Care of It

When you closed on your house, my office (or the title company) took your original, signed deed and sent it to the Richmond County Clerk for recording.

The Clerk's office has gotten much faster in recent years. It currently takes a matter of weeks—not months—for them to scan and record the document. Once they do, they mail the original recorded deed back to me or directly to you.

You do not need to pay a stranger $95 for a copy. The original is already on its way to you for free.

Be Skeptical of Post-Closing Mail

After you buy a home, your mailbox will fill up with junk mail trying to look official—scams for deed copies, scary letters about "mortgage protection insurance," and offers for home warranties.

Be highly skeptical of anything demanding payment related to your home's title shortly after closing. If you are a client of mine and receive something that confuses or worries you, don't pay it. Call my office first. I'll tell you if it's real.