COURT HOUSE – The Cape May County Clerk is offering a free property alert service which will alert subscribers by email when a real property document is recorded which matches the requested name or parcel data parameters.
“We installed this software to provide property owners and their loved ones some peace of mind knowing they would receive an alert if a document is recorded in a particular name. In my experience, title fraud in Cape May County is rare; however, reports of its increase nationwide are concerning to me,” Cape May County Clerk Rita M. Rothberg said.
It is easy to register via the link from the Cape May County Clerk’s Home page:
https://clerk.capemaycountynj.gov/PropertyAlert/
Register for an account by providing an email address and selecting a password. You will receive a confirmation email to activate your account. Following activation, you may set party name parameters to receive an alert when a document meeting those parameters is indexed and verified at the County Clerk’s Office.
Alternatively, subscribers may submit parcel data – municipality, tax block and lot for an alert. Be aware that parcel data is not contained in all recorded documents and therefore not captured in the database. The registration of party name(s) is recommended for email alerts. The registration of parcel data is secondary. This service provides alerts for documents recorded in the Cape May County Clerk’s Office. It does not monitor other data bases.
An alert is triggered when a document is recorded matching the specific parameter set. Subscribers are encouraged to enter a name in a variety of ways, so they don’t miss an alert – i.e. LAST NAME FIRST NAME with a middle initial, without a middle initial, with a middle name. If the parameter is set for JONES JOHN A and the recorded document is indexed as JONES J an alert will not be sent.
The alert system is useful for many scenarios:
- To receive confirmation of the recording of documents prior to and after a real estate closing.
- To receive confirmation that a lien discharge has been recorded.
- To monitor for fraudulent documents intended to transfer a property and/or to obtain a mortgage loan affecting a property.
- To monitor for liens, including municipal tax liens, recorded for non-payment of municipal taxes. Family members of elderly and memory impaired individuals may do this to look out for their loved ones.
