NEWTON COUNTY – In January, the Newton County Superior Court Clerk’s office introduced the Filing Activity Notification System (FANS) in conjunction with the Georgia Superior Court Clerks’ Cooperative Authority (GSCCCA).
Through FANS, residents throughout the state of Georgia can monitor anything filed in Georgia in connection to certain real estate and personal properties records. Citizens can opt-in for the free, voluntary program, which can be used to send electronic notifications of filing activity to individuals who create notifications in the system.
Linda Hays, Clerk of Superior Court, gave an update on the public’s reception of the system since its introduction to The Covington News.
“I believe a lot of people are using it, and we have not had anybody call and say that they were not able to use the system or get on the system,” Hays said. “But it’s been a big help to people and I think it’s given a lot of people peace of mind to be able to go on the system and to know that they will be notified if they put in their phone number or if they put in, an email address or, any way that they want to be notified if something is filed in their name.”
Hays noted that FANS combats the rampant scams being advertised by companies offering to monitor property for a fee by providing a platform for citizens to monitor their assets themselves – free of charge.
The user-friendly system allows for several names to be inputted, to take into account the different ways people may sign their name or be referred to as.
“A lot of people have called us worried that maybe something has been filed against their property, that someone is trying to take their property,” Hays said. “On occasion, something has happened where a person’s property could have been sold and they are not even aware of that. They could have filed a false deed. When someone brings the data in, or they e-file a deed, if it’s in recordable form, we, by law, have to file that. We do not do title searches. By law, we cannot do title searches. It’s just our job to file what comes into the office. So we would not know that that was not you trying to sell your property. So [FANS] is just a help for the citizens. They can go to the service, this gives them all the information. It will alert you if anything has been filed in your name.”
So far, FANS has given users “peace of mind,” according to Hays. Because it is still considered a new service, no updates have been made to the system yet, however, Hays hopes the tool will be expanded in the future.
“It’s very positive feedback… It’s been a big help to people and I think it’s given a lot of people peace of mind to be able to go on the system and to know that they will be notified if they put in their phone number or if they put in an email address or any way that they want to be notified if something is filed in their name,” Hays said.
To get started, visit https://fans.gsccca.org and follow the prompts. For questions or concerns regarding the FANS, please contact the Georgia Superior Court Clerks’ Cooperative Authority customer support at 1-800-304-5174 or help@gsccca.org.
