Clerk of courts urges citizens: Don’t overpay for property deed services

Collier County property owners can obtain a certified copy of their property deed through the recording department in the office of the clerk of the circuit court for $1 per page plus $2 for document certification and any mailing costs.

Dwight Brock, clerk of the circuit court, issues the reminder in light of the fact that numerous residents have received letters from a private company offering to provide them with a certified copy of their property deed for $59.50 which includes location, retrieval, postage and handling. The company, Florida Record Retrieval Inc. based in Plantation, Fla., offers this service by mail, fax or Internet at www.floridadeedservice.com.

“Unless someone has a 50-page deed, it does not make good economic sense, as most deeds are just one or two pages in length,” Mr. Brock says.

Citizens can get a certified copy of their property deed by visiting the clerk’s recording department on the second floor of the Courthouse Annex at Government Center Complex or from any full-service satellite office if the deed was recorded after 1981.

For more information, call 252-7242 or 252-8261, or e-mail questions to recordinghelp@ collierclerk.com.

Also, a free, non-certified copy of your property deed can be obtained online by following the simple records search instructions are available at www.collierclerk. com/RecordsSearch/Official- Records. 