File for Homestead Act Protection, Norfolk Register Tells Group

Homeowners should file to protect their primary residence from being taken away to pay off debts as part of a forced sale, Norfolk County Register of Deeds William O'Donnell said today.

O'Donnell told Over 60 Men's Club members that filing under the Massachusetts Homestead Act is the main message they should remember from his talk.

"When your house is an asset, people are going to look at that," O'Donnell said.

O'Donnell included details about the Homestead Act, including a filing form, in an information packet for guests today.

The packet highlighted some of the services offered at the registry, in Dedham. Two of O'Donnell's staff members then answered guests' questions on laptop computers.

The registry is "an arm of government that many people don't know about" but which serves a significant need, O'Donnell said.

"When you think about it, the biggest asset is your home," he said.

People use the registry for such needs as real estate matters and genealogy, he said.

O'Donnell said he operates the registry as "a people business."

A customer service center is among the changes to the registry since O'Donnell became register in 2002, he said.

The registry also has more than 50 public computers, more than prior to 2002, he said.

"A lot of times, people were fighting over the computers. We don't have that anymore," O'Donnell said.