Consumer Alert: Don't Pay Government Look-a-like Companies for a Grant Deed, Real Estate Documents

These letters are not from a government agency

Updated June 11, 2010

Homeowners beware! Companies are trying to trick people like you into unnecessarily paying them hundreds of dollars.

Many homeowners in Southern California are receiving mail that looks like an official government letter. It states that you need a certified copy of your grant deed and urges you to buy one through their company.

Similar letters offer to sell homeowners a copy of a Reconveyance or a Declaration of Homestead. These letters are not from a government agency.

The Los Angeles County Department of Consumer Affairs encourages you not to pay any of these companies for their “services.”

These companies suggest a grant deed will help you prevent foreclosure in your community, which it will not. They also state that you need your deed to prove that you are the legal owner of your home. Worst of all, they often charge between $100 and $200 for a document you can get for much less.

Here are three reasons to avoid these companies:

• You might already have one: Check your files. You usually receive an official copy of the grant deed in the mail a few weeks after buying a home.
• You don’t “immediately” need one: These companies say you must get your deed “right now”, or before a deadline, to protect your home. No one can steal your home just because you don’t have a copy of your grant deed.
• You can get a copy yourself: If you want a copy of your grant deed or any recorded document, contact your local Recorder’s Office:
  • For Los Angeles County, call (562) 462-2028 for information. A copy of a document usually costs less than $20, depending on the number of pages.
  • For Orange County, call (714) 834-2461.
  • For Kern County, call (661) 868-6400.

If you have received one of these letters or have paid a company like this and want to file a complaint, call us at (800) 593-8222, option 3.