Philly legislation addresses deed scams

New Legislation has been introduced in Philadelphia City Council in an effort to stop the outright stealing of homes in Philadelphia.

New Legislation has been introduced in Philadelphia City Council in an effort to stop the outright stealing of homes in Philadelphia.

To prevent scammers from transferring deeds they don’t own, the bill would require city clerks to inspect deed transfer applications more carefully. Councilman Bill Greenlee says extra scrutiny can prevent legal headaches for property owners.

Greenlee:
It takes at least a year through intensive court action to get the property back. What we’re saying is take two, three, four minutes to do more checks down in the records department and reject some of the ridiculous ones and save people over a year of time and money.

Between 100 and 200 homes are “stolen” each year in the city when people walk in and transfer deeds, even though in some cases their name isn’t on the property.

The councilman says the restrictions will not apply to sheriff’s sales or property transfers involving attorneys or title companies.