(Mineola, NY) Nassau County Clerk Maureen O’Connell is cautioning homeowners about a
new type of solicitation that has recently targeted the Valley Stream community. These mailings are
coming from “New York Record Retrieval, Inc.” who are recommending that all homeowners utilize
their services to purchase a Certified Copy of their deed at a cost of $69.50. Certified copies of deeds
can be obtained from the County Clerk’s Office for $5 to $10.
Concerned by these deceptive practices, County Clerk O’Connell wants homeowners to
remember that all deeds for property located in Nassau County are recorded and maintained at the
County Clerk’s Office and only the Clerk’s Office can issue certified copies of these records.
However, these types of private companies continue to solicit homeowners to purchase a deed on their
behalf, sometimes for more than 1000% over the County Clerk’s fees. To better inform consumers
and protect them, County Clerk O’Connell successfully advocated for state legislation that requires
these types of solicitations to disclose that they are not affiliated with the county. Nevertheless, many
homeowners continue to be impacted by these types of misleading services.
County Clerk O’Connell reminds residents it is not necessary to retain a service such as this to
get a copy of your deed. The County Clerk also recommends that Nassau residents protect themselves
against fraudulent property record filings by registering with the County Clerk’s “Property Fraud Alert
Service” at www.nassaucountyny.gov/clerk/PFA. Anyone interested in additional information can
contact Clerk O’Connell’s office at 516-571-2660.