Back To: Real Estate, Personal, & Intellectual Property

What is a Register of Deeds?

A register of deeds, often called the "registrar of deeds", refers to a record involving real estate deeds or property titles that a domestic government officer maintains. It is used with a grantor-grantee index on a simultaneous basis that showcases the records owner as well as transfers associated with the property.

How Does the Register of Deeds Work?

Though the general public has access to the register of deeds, people may need to invest some time and seek government advice for viewing specific mortgage-based deeds. The register of deeds is generally maintained on the national, provincial, or town levels in the U.S. 

The importance of the register of deeds for authenticating records 

A register of deeds is a particular government position that observes the real records that are in question. Sometimes, the person is elected for this position for a time period of 4 years. Besides the maintenance of property records, the register of deeds also issues marriage licenses, handles notary commissions, and military discharge records. The office of the register can also do the filing of Uniform Commercial Code financial statements involving real estate that safeguard the interest of an individual or party in the additional security provided by a borrower for debt. The office of the register also oversees the issuing of birth and death certificates. They may also have to seek primary or first documents held by government officials in order to gather public information or data. This also helps in ascertaining the birth and death certificates of people by using the foremost available information stored by the concerned government. Jurisdiction has an important role to play in deciding the responsibilities of the register of deeds. They may also have to cover specific fraud control duties. This may involve identity theft where a person misuses or steals crucial information or records like birth certificates. The register can also give reminders to people to beware of scams where fraudulent people ask them for crucial information like deeds in exchange for some money. They tend to contact the general public via spammy emails or other sources of contact. There can be different costs associated with the office of the register for copies. The cost varies as per the nature of document. For instance, a photocopy of a deed may cost $30, whereas there can be other documents where a person has to pay on a per-page basis.

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