'Dirty Deeds' Project Removes Discriminatory Language From Essex County Property Deeds

BEVERLY, MA — A project aimed at removing discriminatory covenants from property deeds — formerly used to exclude religious, racial and ethnic groups from accessing housing markets in certain neighborhoods — recorded the first 13 affidavits striking language from those "dirty deeds" on Monday.

Southern Essex County Register of Deeds Eileen Duff said the affidavit filings mark "the beginning of our process of cleaning every dirty deed in our district."

"This was made possible thanks to the work of Harborlight Homes and the North Shore NAACP, which identified approximately 600 'dirty deeds' in the Southern Essex Registry's district," she said. "This also would not be possible without the hard work of our Legal Interns from the University of Massachusetts Law School in Dartmouth, whom helped identify another 200 dirty deeds."

The Registry has contacted the owners of every affected property via mail, and will continue to reach out to owners via phone to offer assistance in removing any discriminatory language.

If a property owner receives a notification from the Registry of Deeds and has any questions or concerns, they can call the Registry at 978-542-1700.

Owners signed an attorney's affidavit that indicates they have been made aware of this discriminatory language, and they do not want it carried forward. This affidavit is then recorded,
essentially as an addendum to their deed, so if and when the property is ever sold or transferred to someone else, the new deed has that language removed.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)