Deceptive practices have become contagious in the deed solicitation business. Don’t let them take advantage of you!
Local Records Office, working out of a P.O. Box address in Indianapolis currently markets their services in the form of a deed solicitation letter. They offer you a copy of your property deed for a fee of $99.00 per copy. They also state "PLEASE RESPOND BY" with a date listed, making it appear that you MUST respond or face a consequence.
These "notices" that are mailed to the landowners of a given county are masked as governmental agency letters requiring them to pay a fee for legally required documents.
FACT: Homeowners are not required to have copies of their deed even when they go to sell a property. In fact, Indiana law discourages the resale of the recorded documents by commercial entities.
Property deeds – which are usually one to two pages – are public records and county recorders can provide copies for a nominal cost. The services that deed solicitors offer are very inflated since the same copy may be purchased for $1.00 at your County Recorder's office.
If you have any doubts about a mailing offering a government-provided service, contact the entity directly to confirm the solicitation's legitimacy. If you have received a notice or paid for this service, you can file a complaint with the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Office HERE. You can also request that a complaint form be mailed to you by calling 1-800-382-5516.