Current Owner Search, the O&E report for $49
A Current Owner Search, also called an owner and encumbrance (O&E) report, names the owner of record and lists what is recorded against the property: open mortgages, liens, lis pendens, court records matched to the owner and tax status. HeritageDeed builds one from official county records for $49, usually within minutes.
One report, one price · no account or subscription · full refund if it can't be delivered
What every report includes
- Owner of record and the deed they hold title under
- Every deed, mortgage and release the county index returns for the property
- Each mortgage matched to its release; anything unreleased flagged as open
- Recorded liens, lis pendens and UCC fixture filings
- Federal and bankruptcy court records matched to the owner, plus state courts where the county page lists them
- Property tax status; in NYC also HPD, DOB and ECB violations and water charges
- FEMA flood zone and EPA-listed sites near the parcel
- Plain-English summary, risk score and every source searched, as PDF and JSON
What it does not include
- Title insurance, a title commitment or an attorney's opinion of title
- A survey: boundary lines, encroachments and easements that were never recorded
- Payoff balances: mortgage amounts are the original recorded amounts
- Documents recorded before the county's online index begins
- Judgments kept only by a court clerk and never recorded in the land records, where the county page says so
- Use for credit, employment, tenant screening or insurance decisions: HeritageDeed is not a consumer reporting agency
Current owner search, O&E report or full title search?
A current owner search and an owner and encumbrance (O&E) report cover the same ground: who owns the property now, and what is recorded against it. Neither examines every earlier transfer or insures anything. Our guide to the O&E report explains the term and how lenders and title companies use it.
A full title search by a title company examines the chain of title over a period its examiner sets, and is the basis for a title insurance commitment. If you are buying with a mortgage you will need that, and our article on title search vs title insurance explains why. A HeritageDeed report is the fast, inexpensive read of the record that comes before it.
How the search runs
- 1Enter the address
The address is matched to the official parcel first, so every search runs against the right lot. Addresses outside our counties are refused before you pay.
- 2Every source is searched at once
The county recorder or clerk, the tax roll, federal and bankruptcy courts (and state courts where the county page lists them), FEMA and EPA, and in New York City the city agencies, all in parallel.
- 3Open items are worked out
Each mortgage is matched to its release; anything without one is flagged as open. Name-only court matches are marked to verify.
- 4You get the report
A PDF and the same data as JSON on your order page, with every source listed and whether it responded.
The full method, the sources for every county and our measured accuracy are on the methodology page.
Who orders it
- Investors screening a property before an offer or an auction bid
- Tax-lien and foreclosure buyers checking what is recorded against a parcel
- Attorneys and title agents who want an inexpensive first pass before full title work
- Lenders reviewing a property outside a purchase: a home equity line, a portfolio check, loss mitigation
- Owners, buyers and sellers who want to read the record before hiring a title company
Where you can order it
Each county page lists the offices searched and what the report does and does not cover there.
See one before you buy
The sample report is a real Current Owner Search for 350 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, run through the same pipeline as paid orders: 6 deeds back to 1991, 11 mortgages with none open, 4 recorded satisfactions, 3 federal court cases matched to the owner, flood zone and tax status, with the full 20-page PDF to download.
Questions
What is a current owner search?
A title search limited to the present owner of a property: it identifies the owner of record and the deed they hold title under, and lists what is recorded against the property now, such as open mortgages, liens, lis pendens, judgments matched to the owner and tax status.
Is a current owner search the same as an O&E report?
In scope, yes. Both identify the owner of record and list the recorded encumbrances without examining the full ownership history. Companies use different names for it: current owner search, O&E report, owner and encumbrance report.
How much does an O&E report cost at HeritageDeed?
$49 per report, plus sales tax where it applies. There is one report at one price, no subscription and no account, and a full refund if the report cannot be delivered.
Does the report show earlier owners?
The current owner's deed names the seller. Where the county indexes land records by parcel, as in New York City, Philadelphia and Cook County, the report also lists the earlier deeds and loans the index returns for the parcel; the sample report shows a chain back to 1991. Elsewhere the search runs on the current owner's name, and each county page says so.
Is a current owner search title insurance?
No. It is a public-records search report. HeritageDeed does not sell or underwrite title insurance, and a report is not a title commitment or an attorney's opinion of title. A buyer taking a mortgage still needs a title insurance commitment from a licensed insurer.
How long does it take?
Most reports are generated within minutes. A slow county source can make one take longer, and the order page shows its progress. If a report is not delivered within 24 hours, you can ask for a full refund.
HeritageDeed provides public-record search reports only. Reports do not constitute title insurance, an attorney opinion of title, or a title insurance commitment.
Order a Current Owner Search, $49
$49 per report. Usually ready in minutes. Full refund if we can't deliver.