Philadelphia just rolled out a system that officials say will prevent home stealing and keep families from losing the generational wealth that homeownership can create. Now, when someone who’s attempting to sell a home in Philadelphia submits a deed for the city to record, the city’s new automated system will use government databases to check whether the seller was dead at the time the deed was signed, city officials announced. If records show the seller was dead, the city will reject the deed. Mayor Cherelle L. Parker said Philadelphia is the first local government to launch such a system. “Deed fraud is a silent crisis that’s affecting neighborhoods across our city,” she said. Thieves who forge deeds from deceased property owners are “creating a nightmare for those families and their heirs,” she added.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 9/5/2025