Property and Real Estate Law Terms

This section explains the legal vocabulary readers encounter when dealing with ownership, transfer, possession, land use, rental relationships, and disputes over real property.

Planned cornerstone topics include deed, title, easement, lien, landlord, tenant, eviction, zoning, covenant, and adverse possession.

For adjacent ideas about contracts and legal remedies, start with Contract, Remedy, Liability, and Cause of Action.

In this section

• Adverse Possession in Property Law
  Adverse possession is the doctrine under which someone who openly possesses land for the required period may gain legal rights in it.
• Covenant in Property Law
  A covenant is a binding promise tied to land or a real-estate relationship that restricts or requires certain uses or actions.
• Deed in Real Property Law
  A deed is the legal instrument used to transfer ownership or another real-property interest from one party to another.
• Easement in Property Law
  An easement is a nonpossessory legal right to use another person's land for a limited purpose.
• Eviction in Landlord-Tenant Law
  Eviction is the legal process a landlord uses to recover possession of property from a tenant or occupant.
• Landlord in Rental Law
  A landlord is the owner or lessor who grants a tenant the right to occupy property under a lease or rental agreement.
• Lien on Real Property
  A lien is a legal claim against property that secures payment of a debt or obligation.
• Tenant in Rental Law
  A tenant is the person or entity with the legal right to occupy property under a lease or rental arrangement.
• Title to Real Property
  Title refers to the legal ownership interest in real property and the rights that come with it.
• Zoning in Land Use Law
  Zoning is the legal system that regulates how land in specific areas may be used or developed.