Sullivan County
Janet Gibson, Register / Renee Simino, Deputy Register
14 Main Street, 2nd Floor, Newport NH 03773
Phone: 603-863-2110 / Fax: 603-863-0013
Office Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM
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| Sullivan County FAQs |
| I WANT TO KNOW WHO OWNS A PIECE OF PROPERTY. YOU HAVE ALL THE LAND RECORDS, CAN YOU TELL ME? All records in the Registry are indexed by owner’s name, not a property address. You must have a name and if not, then you should contact the city assessor or the town tax collector where the property is located. They will have the property owner’s name listed for that property. HOW DO I ADD OR CHANGE A NAME ON MY DEED? The only way to change, add or remove a name on a deed is to have a new deed drawn up. Once a document is recorded, it can not be changed. To show any change in ownership of property, you need to have a new deed drawn up. In order to protect your legal interests, we strongly suggest that you contact an attorney to have this done for you. HOW CAN I FIND OUT THE PURCHASE PRICE OF THE PROPERTY? The Registry of Deeds collects the State of NH Real Estate Transfer Tax at the time of recording. We are agents for the State in collecting this tax. When property is transferred, unless there is a legal exemption claimed on the deed, a tax stamp will be affixed which relates to the purchase price paid for the property. The transfer tax rate varies depending on the time frame of the transaction. This is based on the date of the deed. There are charts posted in the Registry of the various rates and when they were implemented. If you have the amount of the stamp, check the chart to obtain the rate of the tax in effect according to the date of the deed, divide the stamp by the rate shown. This will give you the purchase price. CAN I LOOK SOMETHING UP IF I HAVE THE ADDRESS? All of the records in the Registry of Deeds are indexed by name and date. You must have at least a last name of either a current or former owner of the property and an approximate time frame of ownership in order to attempt to locate a record in the Registry. If you do not know any of the owners of the property and only have an address, you need to contact the assessor or tax collector of the Town or City for the property that you are looking for. They will be able to tell you who the current owner is by address. Once you have the name, then you can access the records in the Registry to find any transactions relative to that name. WHAT IF I HAVE A TAX MAP AND LOT NUMBER? Again, you must have a name, contact the Town or City to obtain the name of the individual being listed as the owner of the property. WHAT IF I DON’T KNOW THE BOOK AND PAGE NUMBER? If you do not know the book and page number, you will need to have an approximate year that the transaction took place. You will need to use the Grantor or Grantee index to locate a book and page for the document that you want copied. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A GRANTOR AND A GRANTEE? A GRANTOR is the seller of the property. (Someone who conveys an interest in the property.) A Grantor can also be a Borrower (mortgagor) of money; the Defendant in an attachment; the Debtor in UCC filings; or someone that is giving/granting something or making a statement. A GRANTEE is the buyer of the property. (Someone who is purchasing the property.) A Grantee can also be the Lender (Mortgagee) of money; the Secured Party in UCC filings; or someone that is receiving or accepting something. Any questions regarding how a document would be indexed should be referred to the Registrar. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A QUITCLAIM DEED AND A WARRANTY DEED? If you have any questions relative to the type of document and what effect it has, you should consult with an attorney. We are not able to search records, interpret documents, explain their purpose, help fill out forms, supply forms, or explain legal procedures. We suggest that you contact an attorney for legal questions. I FOUND MY NAME IN THE INDEX FOLLOWED BY &AL WHO IS AL? &al or &als, et al. or et als., represents more than one person being involved in that transaction. I FOUND THE DOCUMENT THAT I WANT TO LOOK AT AND IT SAYS SEE RECORD, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? SEE RECORD means that a definitive description was not available, so you must read the description to determine location of the property or what the document is all about. IS THERE A PLAN/SURVEY OF MY PROPERTY ON RECORD? Not all deeds have plans that accompany them for recordation. If your property is part of a subdivision and/or if you have had your land surveyed, not always, but quite often the plan/survey will be filed with the Registry of Deeds. If you have not had your land surveyed but think that there may be a plan on file, we will show you how to use the plan index to look under your name, development names, subdivision names, former owners, abutters of your property, etc. to see if there is a plan on file. I HAD A LIEN FILED AGAINST ME THAT IS NOW PAID, ARE YOU GOING TO REMOVE THE LIEN? We do not originate any documents here. Our function is to record documents brought to this office and we cannot release/discharge any liens without a proper written release or discharge. Records found in the index are never removed. Once a document has been filed, it remains a part of the title history. As each transaction occurs that affects the title to the property, it is recorded and becomes an integral part of the history of the property and the owners. If a lien is filed and is subsequently paid and the release is filed, then a search of the records will show that the lien has been satisfied. WHAT KIND OF INFORMATION CAN I FIND IN THE RECORDS? All of the records in the Registry of Deeds are public information. Any transaction that pertains to real estate would be recorded here. Conveyances, mortgages, real estate tax liens, federal liens, discharges, attachment, UCC’s, leases, plans, assignments and other like documents. If you have any questions pertaining to how a document would be indexed, please ask. FURTHER QUESTIONS? If you have problems concerning a credit report, the consumer relations number for the Credit Bureau Services of NH is 1-800-632-1765. CAVEAT — Remember, the index is only a pointer to the actual document and should not be relied on. It is necessary to peruse the actual document to ascertain the legitimacy of the document. We recommend that you consult with an attorney for all legal matters pertaining to preparing, interpreting and changing the records. |