Protect your home: BK’s BP Reynoso offers deed theft protection workshop
Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso is putting deed theft prevention at the top of his list of priorities.
In a borough where the housing market has been bursting at the seams for more than a decade, there has been a corresponding increase in property fraud scams and forcible attempts to steal home titles, or deeds that prove evidence of ownership, away from homeowners. Deed theft cases in Central Brooklyn have reached alarming heights and are taking a toll on area Black homeowners, who often feel they have no trusted source they can turn to for help.
That’s why the borough president organized a deed theft-prevention workshop at Medgar Evers College on Tuesday night, Oct. 16. The event featured discussions about estate planning, the availability of legal resources, and examples of how deed theft cases have played out in the borough.
“[Alt]hough it is like a very long and painful road, it does sometimes lead to success,” said Jenny Eisenberg, a senior staff attorney in the Foreclosure Prevention Project at Brooklyn Legal Services, of efforts to deal with deed theft. She assured attendees who might be hesitant about contacting some of the agencies represented at the workshop for help. Ultimately, she said, “…every single one of you has managed to hang onto a house in Brooklyn through how many millions of crises and threats and predatory loans and racist lenders and crazy investors. If you’ve hung onto your house for this long, trust your instincts because you’re really going to be your own best advocate.”
Deed theft has been the number one issue that people are coming to complain about at the Brooklyn borough president’s office, the AmNews was told. The workshop was the first of many planned responses to private conversations Reynoso has had with constituents.
“Homeownership is one of the most important pathways to building and sustaining wealth,” Reynoso told those attending the workshop. “When deed theft scammers target communities like Central Brooklyn, they are trying to displace our neighbors and lock Black and Brown families out of homes they’ve nourished for generations. Events like our Deed Theft Workshop give homeowners the tools they need to remain in their homes and protect themselves from this predatory practice. Knowledge is power and I’m thankful to all the partners who made this day possible.”
One homeowner, who did not want to have her name published, said, “I think that this was one of the most thorough presentations on deed theft that I have seen in a long time. I don’t think it is perfect, but you begin here first.” The vast amounts of money and influence that investors have in New York City, particularly in Brooklyn, means that Black homeowners will continue to be harassed, and usually without any repercussions, she said, “so I appreciate this—that these kinds of steps are being taken. We’ll see where it leads.”
After the presentations, participants could talk with representatives from the Kings County District Attorney’s office, NYC Department of Finance, Brooklyn Legal Services, nonprofit financial counseling firm Grow Brooklyn, NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development, and NYC Department of Buildings.
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