As lifelong New Yorkers, we know a home is more than a financial asset. It holds memory, stability, health and the possibility of passing something lasting from one generation to the next.
We come to the fight against deed theft from different positions — one of us as a state legislator representing Bronx homeowners navigating housing insecurity and fraud, and the other as a homeowner whose family has spent nearly a decade fighting to recover a stolen family home. We share the same conviction that New York must prevent fraudulent transfers, protect vulnerable homeowners and create a direct path for families to reclaim stolen homes.
The mission to fight deed theft is incredibly personal. For years, one of our families has owned a Crown Heights brownstone that was also home to our holistic wellness center, welcoming visitors including Stevie Wonder. In 2015, what began as a refinancing transaction became a prolonged ownership dispute when fraudulent documents were allegedly used to obtain the deed. On paper, a family of owners was recast as defendants, forced to prove its belonging through years of court appearances, changing attorneys and threats of eviction.
That experience led to the founding of the Black Homeowners Preservation Coalition and revealed a much larger problem. From Crown Heights to the Bronx to Buffalo, homeownership is painstakingly built, then rendered vulnerable by speculation, legal complexity and bad actors who target older homeowners who they believe are least able to fight back.
Whether experienced through public service or personal loss, the lesson of deed theft is the same. Homeownership remains the primary way working families build wealth, yet too many Black and Latino homeowners are left vulnerable to fraud that should have been prevented.
Deed theft often exploits grief, financial distress, inheritance disputes and the limited resources of older homeowners. It may begin with a forged signature, a deceptive refinancing agreement or a deed concealed within a stack of documents. It ends with families draining their savings, losing sleep, defending their homes against eviction and wondering why the institutions designed to protect ownership allowed the fraud to proceed. No family should lose decades of equity because it cannot afford thousands of dollars for an attorney.
New York has taken an important first step. In 2024, legislation drafted by Attorney General Letitia James, introduced in the Assembly by one of us and carried in the state Senate by Sen. Zellnor Myrie classified deed theft as grand larceny, extended the time available for prosecution and expanded the attorney general’s authority to pursue cases. But criminal enforcement alone is not enough.
That’s why we will introduce legislation in Albany that requires state officials to strengthen ownership verification before deeds and mortgages are recorded, require title companies, lenders and attorneys to investigate warning signs, and establish rapid alerts whenever documents are filed against a property. New York must also fund dedicated deed-theft units, expand free legal representation and create an expedited process for invalidating fraudulent deeds.
Justice must be measured by restoration. An arrest alone does not repair the harm if the rightful owner remains displaced, indebted or trapped in court. New York must stop deed theft before it happens, prosecute those who commit it and return families to the homes they never intended to surrender. Our work is not finished and that is why next year, we will introduce a new homeowner protection package with a focus on deed theft.
Dais is a Bronx assemblyman. Afua is an holistic healer and author,