New Law: Notice of Conveyance to Current Owner of Record

On December 12, 2019, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed into law Senate Bill S5372 which amends Real Property Law § 291. Effective March 11, 2020, upon receiving a request to record a new conveyance, the county clerk or city registrar shall mail a written notice of the conveyance of real property to the current owner of record. Such notice must have the heading printed in 20-point bold type and read as follows:

NOTICE OF SALE OR TRANSFER OF OWNERSHIP OF YOUR RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY.
To:______________________________
Name of owner of record
Our records show that you are listed as the current owner of record for residential property:
Block # __________ Lot # ________
Located At: ___________________________ street address
in the county of __________________ New York
On ____________, documents were filed at this
date

office to change ownership and transfer title of your property.

To: ______________________________
name of new owner
If you have any questions regarding the validity of the documents, and wish to dispute the recording of the transfer, you should obtain legal counsel. If you believe you are a victim of a crime related to this recording, contact your local law enforcement agency or, if in the City of New York, the office of the sheriff.

The person seeking to record a new conveyance shall bear the costs of the written notice which shall cover the cost of mailing the notice to the owner of record. However, failure to mail such notice or the failure of any party to receive the same, shall not affect the validity of the conveyance of the property.