Baldwin County’s top revenue official is warning homeowners not to fall for a mail solicitation asking for $83 in exchange for a copy of their property deed, a document that’s already available for free.
Revenue Commissioner Teddy Faust said his office has fielded a growing number of calls from residents who received official-looking letters labeled as a “deed processing notice.” The mailers include real details about a homeowner’s property, including the sale date, price, parcel number, year built and square footage, making them appear legitimate.
The letters come from an outfit calling itself Property Transfer Service, based out of Wilmington, Delaware, and have been showing up in Baldwin County mailboxes since 2012, according to Faust. The company states plainly that it isn’t associated with any government agency, but the letter’s format and the accuracy of the property details lead many recipients to assume otherwise.
Faust said the company isn’t breaking any laws, since the letter does disclose that it’s a solicitation and that the homeowner is under no obligation to respond. Still, he was blunt about what’s really going on.
“But it’s a scam,” Faust said in a statement, adding that the company is simply printing out a copy of a deed already available on the county’s website and then charging homeowners for something they could get themselves at little to no cost.
According to Faust, when a property changes hands in Baldwin County, the recorded deed typically shows up on the Revenue Commission’s website within about a week, assuming the transaction was filed in a timely manner. Homeowners can print their own copy for the cost of paper and ink rather than paying an outside company $83.
Faust urged anyone who receives one of the letters to check the county’s records online before sending any money, and to reach out to the Revenue Commission’s office directly with questions. The office maintains locations serving North Baldwin, South Baldwin and the Eastern Shore.
The warning comes as Baldwin County continues to see strong growth in home sales and new construction, which officials say has made property records – and the scams that piggyback on them – an increasingly common concern for residents across the county, from Bay Minette to the beach communities.