It is stated in Real Property Article, Section 3-104(a) "when the property is transferred in the assessment books, the person recording the transfer shall evidence the fact of transfer on the deed."

Many transfer offices are stamping the certification of transfer on the cover of the instrument rather than within the body of the deed. Since the Clerk of the Circuit Court microfilms this land record, this certification information does not appear and is lost from the records once the original instrument is mailed to the grantee. This means that there is no evidence among the land records that the person presenting the deed has complied with the elements of the law regarding real property transfer, neither is there evidence that the circuit court has checked for certification required before recording.

It is important that the stamped evidence indicating that the assessment office has duly transferred ownership be placed on the body of the deed not on the front or back cover. ​