Richmond court clerk asks property owners to sign up for free deed alert service

Richmond property owners can sign up to be notified if a transaction involving them or their property occurs in the Virginia courts, a service officials say will help combat deed fraud.

The free VA Deed Alert system sends email notifications when a document is recorded in local land records matching a name or identification number for a property. 

In a news release, Richmond Circuit Court Clerk Ed Jewett said the system — which is run through the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia — can provide “early warning of potentially fraudulent activity, such as unauthorized deed transfers or filings.”

“I often hear from citizens concerning their worries about deed fraud, a growing problem across the country,” Jewett said. “We are pleased to offer VA Deed Alert free to the Richmond community as a way to help them protect their property from this worrisome trend.”

The clerk’s release noted the alert service does not prevent fraud on its own, but creates “an additional layer of awareness” allowing property owners to take further action once they learn of unusual activity.

Property owners can sign up at https://risweb.vacourts.gov/VADeedAlert/#/login. Anyone with questions about the service can contact the Richmond court clerk’s office at 804-646-6530.