Letter promises free materials for only $80

If you get a notice in the mail soliciting money for property information, chances are you can get the same information for little to no cost.

Carbon County Clerk Gwynn Bartlett said she and several other Carbon County residents received letters through the mail labeled “Deed Processing”. The notice promises to send a “property profile” containing information including address, owner’s name, comparable values, legal description and parcel identification number for a fee of more than $80. The company sending these notices is not affiliated with the state of Wyoming or Carbon County, Bartlett said.

Bartlett said many of these documents are public record, and are available from her office, the treasurer’s office or the assessor’s office, either for free online, or at each office for a small copy fee of 25 or 50 cents per page.

Bartlett said the notice includes a disclaimer, stating it is not affiliated with the state, and even says the materials it promises are available for little to no cost at the county office, but it is still misleading.

“It’s very easy to misunderstand something like that,” she said.

Bartlett said the disclaimer is in small print, and could easily be missed by readers.

The notice also includes “Compliance Response Date”. Bartlett said the notice may make some property owners feel inclined to pay the fee, but that is not the case.

“There are some elderly people that might get that and pay for that because they think they have to,” she said.

Bartlett said she does not know if those paying for the service are getting the promised materials, but the organization offering the documents could still be legitimate.

“It could be a legitimate service, but most of these documents I can get for free,” Bartlett said. “I don’t need to pay a company $80 to get them.”