The homeowner keeps the original deed. After a deed is recorded, the City Register or county clerk keeps an official copy in the public record and returns the original, stamped deed to the new owner. You do not need to store the original in any special vault, because the recorded version is the one that legally counts, and you can always get a certified copy if the paper one is lost. Here is who holds what, and what to do if yours goes missing.
1 The owner holds the original
Once your deed is recorded, the office returns the original document to you, the new owner, stamped with its recording information. Most people keep it with their important papers, a home safe, a fireproof box, or a safe deposit box. There is no legal requirement about where you store it; it is simply your proof of the transfer.
2 The county keeps the record
The key point is that recording creates an official government copy. In New York City, ACRIS holds the recorded image for Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens, and the Richmond County Clerk holds Staten Island records. That public copy, not your paper original, is what establishes your ownership in the eyes of the law. It cannot be lost, burned, or stolen from your house.
3 What about the lender?
People sometimes think the bank keeps the deed until the mortgage is paid off. That is a common mix-up. The lender holds a mortgage or lien against the property, not your deed. You own the property and hold the deed the whole time; the lender simply has a recorded security interest that is released when you pay off the loan.
4 If your deed is lost
Losing the paper deed does not cloud your ownership. Because the deed was recorded, you can request a certified copy from the public record. In NYC you can pull the recorded document through ACRIS or the Richmond County Clerk. A certified copy carries the same weight for most purposes, so there is no need to panic if the original goes missing.
5 Recording and copies
If you are transferring property and want the deed recorded correctly so an official copy exists, or you need help pulling a recorded document, we can help. See our NYC document recording service, or call 347-762-0262.
Need a deed recorded in NYC?
We notarize and file through ACRIS so an official, protected copy of your deed exists in the public record.
The owner keeps the original recorded deed. The City Register or county clerk keeps the official record copy in the public record.
Does the bank keep my deed?
No. The lender holds a mortgage or lien against the property, not your deed. You hold the deed the entire time you own the home.
What if I lose my deed?
Your ownership is safe because the deed was recorded. You can request a certified copy from the public record, in NYC through ACRIS or the Richmond County Clerk.
Related: are deeds public record in New York and how to record a deed in NYC.
See also: how to get a copy of your deed in NYC, step by step.
See also: do you get your deed after paying off your mortgage.
This article is general information, not legal advice. Recording and copy procedures can change. Confirm current requirements or consult a professional.
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Original, copy and certified copy
Three different things, and knowing which you need saves a trip.
The original is the signed deed. After recording it is typically returned to the new owner or their attorney. Its practical importance is lower than people assume, because the recorded version is the operative public record.
A plain copy can usually be printed free from ACRIS. Fine for your own reading or for showing a lender informally.
A certified copy carries the clerk’s certification that it is a true copy of the record. That is what a court, a foreign authority, a title company or an apostille filing requires, and it costs a fee.
Ask the recipient which they want rather than guessing. See how to get a copy of your deed.
If you cannot find the original
Usually not a crisis. Once a deed is recorded, the public record is what establishes the transfer, and a certified copy from the City Register or the Richmond County Clerk serves nearly every purpose the original would.
Where it does matter is if the deed was never recorded. An unrecorded original is the only evidence of the transfer, it does not protect the owner against later claims, and it will not appear to anyone searching the title. If you are holding one, recording it is the priority.
Beware the deed retrieval letter
Homeowners in New York City regularly receive official looking mail offering to obtain a copy of their deed for a fee, often $80 or more, sometimes implying it is required.
It is not required, and you can print a copy free from ACRIS yourself, or order a certified copy directly from the City Register for a modest official fee. Those letters are a marketing product, not a government notice.
Storing it, and watching the record
Keep the deed with the title policy, the survey, the closing statement and any mortgage satisfaction. Tell somebody where they are.
Then check your own record on ACRIS once a year and enroll in the City Register’s notification program, which mails a notice whenever anything is recorded against your property. Both are free and both are how owners catch deed fraud early.
Why the recorded version outranks the paper
New York is a race notice recording state. What that means in practice is that priority between competing claims is generally decided by what was recorded and when, not by who is physically holding a document. A recorded deed puts the world on notice. A deed in a filing cabinet does not.
So the certified copy from the City Register is not a lesser substitute for the original. For most purposes it is the stronger document, because it proves the transfer exists in the public record.
Deceased owners and missing paperwork
When a homeowner dies and the family cannot find the deed, the deed is rarely the problem. The question is how title passes, which depends on how the property was held. Jointly with a right of survivorship, as tenants by the entirety between spouses, as tenants in common, or in a trust each lead somewhere different.
Pull the recorded deed first, read how the owners are named on it, and then get advice on what has to be filed. We can help you obtain and notarize the paperwork, and we are careful not to tell you what your document means, because a notary is not permitted to.