Copy of average deed costs $5

Deeds are public records available for a nominal fee, the recorder says.

YOUNGSTOWN — A private company offering to provide certified copies of deeds to Mahoning County homeowners is charging 10 times more than the county recorder’s office for the average deed, said Noralynn Palermo, county recorder.

Palermo said 20 to 30 county residents, some of them elderly who have purchased homes in recent years, called her office Monday and Tuesday. They said they received letters from National Deed Service Inc. of Northbrook, Ill., offering to provide them with an official, or certified, copy of their deed for $59.50.

The deeds are public records available in person or by mail to anyone, and the recorder’s office charges $2 per page for copies plus a $1 certification fee, Palermo said. The average deed is two pages, so the average charge would be $5, she added. Deeds range from one to four pages, she said.

“They’re public records. They’re more than welcome to come in or request by mail a certified copy of their deed if they need one, and it’s not going to cost them $59.50,” Palermo said, adding that her office is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. “It’s totally unnecessary. You can just come in here and get it ... It’s a very easy process,” she said.

Easy process

All deeds recorded since 1985 can be retrieved and printed out from a computer at the front counter by recorder’s office staff at the county courthouse, without searching for a bound volume, Palermo said. “We can look it up, print it, and give it to you in a matter of seconds or minutes,” she said.

Citing the time and effort and possible parking fee to visit a county recorder’s office, the National Deed Service Web site says the company provides “a cost and time effective service.” A recorded message on the company’s toll-free telephone line says the company buys mailing lists of real estate transactions, which are public records, and is not affiliated with any government agency. Company officials could not be reached to comment.

A Chicago area Better Business Bureau report on Illinois Deed Provider Inc., an affiliated company housed at the same Northbrook, Ill., office suite, says Illinois Deed Provider is not a BBB member and that it has resolved an advertising-related complaint but has not responded to a customer service complaint.

Those who receive letters from companies offering to provide them a government document for a fee should call the local source agency to determine the availability and any fees for acquiring such documents themselves, if they need them, advised Melissa Padisak, director of marketing and public relations for the BBB in Youngstown.