Just when you thought something was safe and protected, you learn that somehow has “stolen” your home. 

Well, your home hasn’t been physically taken, but the Deed, the document which proves ownership of all Real Estate in the United States, has been. 

When I lived in Broward County I was invited to take part in a meeting with then Property Appraiser Lori Parrish. During this meeting Ms. Parrish told us that she recently learned that anyone could walk into the Clerks office and submit a Deed for Recording.

She went on to explain that not only were staff not required or trained to obtain any proof as to the authenticity of the Deed or even the ID of the person submitting it.

As a matter of coincidence, this happened to her neighbors home. Just one day, a new Deed appeared in the Public Records, declaring a new owner of the property. It was clearly a Fraud because name and address of the “owner” were members of the Royals with an address in the United Kingdom. 

Since that time, however, Counties across the State have implemented a Homeowner Fraud Alert system. This Alert will notify any registered Homeowner that a filing has been made regarding the Deed or any filing against the property. 

It seems however that few Floridians are aware of this free service or may have chosen to just not care. 

Please visit your County Clerk website for such an Alert. If you can’t find it online, call the County office to double check. If your County doesn’t have it, it should. 

Its sad that this happens and that our systems can’t be improved to prevent such fraud. Until then, we’ll live with the Alert system.