County Clerk calls on state to investigate deed company

BY PATRICIA A. MILLER
Staff Writer

BRICK TOWNSHIP - Ocean County Clerk Carl W. Block doesn't want any Ocean County residents wasting their money.

So Block recently wrote to state Attorney General Stuart Rabner asking his office to investigate the pricing practices of National Deed Service Inc., which has a Washington, D.C., address on its letterhead.

The company has sent direct-mail solicitation letters to residents around the state, offering to provide homeowners with a certified copy of their deed for $79.50. But the County Clerk's office provides certified deed copies for far less - $4 for a four-page deed.

County clerks throughout the state met a few weeks ago and decided to take some action, Block said Monday.

"Even though it appears to be legal on the surface, it sure does seem to be taking advantage of people," he said. "There's no reason we shouldn't bring it to the attention of law enforcement."

National Deed Service's charges to provide the certified copy is roughly 550 percent over what the county charges, Block said in his letter to Rabner.

"It is my understanding that the Consumer Fraud Act prohibits unconscionable commercial practices, which would appear to include the inflated pricing of items for sale," Block said in his March 13 letter.

The company's letters have surfaced in other counties in New Jersey, Block said.

"We agreed it would be left to each clerk to follow their own conscience," he said. "But everyone I talked to said they were going to write. We don't see any upside to this thing. We all offer it as public record. We all have a price that is significantly less."

The company's letter - which lists its address as 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Suite 300 in Washington, D.C. - advises homeowners that the federal government recommends property owners have a certified copy of their deed.

Block said he received several letters of thanks from residents who almost paid the company.

"They were contemplating doing it," he said. "They read about it in the papers."

Homeowners who want a certified copy of their deed can go to the public record access room or deed room on the first floor of the Ocean County Courthouse on Washington Street in Toms River from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, Block said.

Property owners who can't go in person can send a letter to the County Clerk's office. They should first call the office at (732) 929-2053 and provide their address, purchase date and lot and block number, along with the full name of the owner.