The Sussex County Recorder of Deeds office launched a new service to give added protection to property owners.
The Recording Activity Notification Service provides email alerts to subscribing property owners whenever a land record is recorded with their registered name.
This service is free and available for anyone who owns property in Sussex County.
The move to institute this service was spearheaded by Sussex County Recorder of Deeds Alexandra Reed Baker.
She says the information needed to provide this service was already available via the online recording software used by Sussex County to manage its database of property deeds and mortgages, but making it accessible to the public can help provide peace of mind.
Deed fraud occurs when fictitious documents are filed in order to steal the land from property owners.
This action is difficult to take in the First State due to Delaware’s transfer tax law, which requires a realty transfer tax at the rate of 3 percent of the value of the property.
However, this added email alert system can still help to catch fraudulent activity early and prevent more severe consequences in the future.
Property owners can sign up at sussexcountyde.gov/deed-fraud-alert.
