The Better Business Bureau of Southern Arizona is advising consumers not to be frightened into paying about 12 times what they need to for copies of their property deeds.
The local BBB has received numerous calls this week from residents who received letters from National Deed Service Inc. of Washington D.C., said bureau spokeswoman Kim States.
The letter says a U.S. government agency recommends that "property owners should have an official or certified copy of their deed." The company offers to provide certified copies of real estate property deeds for a fee of $59.60. Its Web site states the the deeds will be mailed about 30 days after they're ordered.
Thing is, copies of property deeds can be obtained for $1 a page — generally in a few minutes — by simply going to the Pima County Recorder's Office, said Robert Sarich, assistant chief deputy of the recorder's office.
People are also reading…
Property deeds generally are one or two pages, and people can get certified copies for an additional $3 per deed, so the average total price for a certified copy from the Recorder's Office is about $5, Sarich said.
People get copies of their deeds when they close on a house, though homeowners sometimes lose track of them, said local real estate agent John Horan, who himself received a letter from National Deed Service.
"I was surprised when I got it. I'd never seen anything like it," Horan said. "The letter creates a sense of urgency to the recipient that they really need to to get a copy, and it definitely seems like a situation where they're trying to get money from you unnecessarily."
National Deed didn't respond to phone messages left by a reporter. The solicitation letters include a footnote saying the company is "not affiliated with any government agency" and that "many government records are available for free or at a nominal cost from government agencies."
While National Deed's sales tactics are questionable, it's not an outright scam, States said.
"What this is really all about is common sense," she said. "Consumers should keep in mind that this type of information is public record, so a company like that can obtain a copy of the deed and then charge an outrageous amount of money to send it to you."
Copies of property deeds can be obtained for nominal fees at the Downtown location of the Pima County Recorder's Office, 115 N. Church Ave. For more information, visit www.recorder.pima.gov or call 740-4350 The office is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.