Legal glossary category
Property Law
Browse 29 glossary entries in the Property Law category, with short plain-English descriptions and direct links to the full term pages.
convey
Think of a hall pass that lets a kid leave class; a conveyance hands over the right to own something just like that pass hands over permission to go.
Open term →encumbrance
Think of an encumbrance like a hall pass that lets the teacher take your lunch money before you can leave the cafeteria.
Open term →fixture
Think of a bookshelf bolted to a wall; you can't take it home like a loose book, just like a hall pass sticks to the student’s schedule.
Open term →foreclosed
Imagine a kid’s library card gets taken away after they forget to return books; they can’t borrow any more until the fines are paid.
Open term →foreclosure
Foreclosure works like when you borrow a friend's toy and can't return it by the deadline.
Open term →grantee
Giving a grantee a right is like handing a hall pass to a student; the student can walk the halls until the pass is taken back.
Open term →heirs
Imagine a classmate leaves you their lunchbox; you get to eat it, but you must first give any crumbs to the teacher who collected lunch money.
Open term →home
Think of a home like a hall pass that lets a kid stay in the classroom all day; losing it means you must leave the room.
Open term →hotel
Think of a hotel like a school’s hall pass: you’re allowed to stay in a particular hallway for a set time, and the school promises the hallway will...
Open term →improvement
Think of a hall pass: you add a new sticker to your locker, and the school lets you keep it only if you follow the rules for that sticker.
Open term →intellectual property
Think of a library card that lets you check out books; intellectual property is the card that lets you keep others from borrowing your own story.
Open term →land
Think of land like a permanent playground spot you get a ticket for; you can play there, stop others from using it, and trade the ticket, but the s...
Open term →landlord
A landlord is like a teacher who hands out a hall pass; the student can walk the halls but must obey the rules or the pass is taken away.
Open term →lease
Think of a lease like a hall pass that lets a kid use a classroom for a set time as long as they hand in a daily note.
Open term →leasehold
Think of a leasehold like a hall pass that lets a student use the gym for the whole semester, but the school can take it back if the rules are broken.
Open term →lessee
Think of a hall pass that lets a kid use the school gym; the kid must hand it back and follow the rules, just like a lessee must pay rent and obey...
Open term →lessor
Think of a lessor like a teacher who hands out a hall pass; the student can use the hallway, but the teacher still owns the school and can take the...
Open term →lot
Think of a lot like a hall pass that lets a student use a particular classroom; the pass must name the room, or the student can’t claim they were a...
Open term →map
Think of a map like a school floor plan that shows where each classroom is, so everyone knows which room they belong to.
Open term →mortgage
Think of a mortgage like a hall pass that lets a kid borrow a library book; the pass stays with the book until the kid returns it, otherwise the li...
Open term →mortgage loan
Think of a mortgage loan like a hall pass that lets a kid walk the halls, but if they skip class, the teacher can take the pass away.
Open term →mortgagee
Think of the mortgagee like a school librarian who keeps a book until you return it; if you don’t, the librarian can keep the book permanently.
Open term →mortgagor
Think of a mortgagor like a kid who hands a library book to the librarian as a promise to return it, but the librarian can keep the book if the kid...
Open term →multifamily
Think of a multifamily building like a school bus that carries many kids; each seat is a separate rental unit the owner must keep safe and in good...
Open term →occupancy
Think of a hall pass that lets a student be in the cafeteria; occupancy is the legal hall pass for a building.
Open term →owner
Think of a hall pass that lets a kid move around school; an owner’s pass lets them move, sell, or lease the thing they hold.
Open term →ownership
Think of a library card that lets you keep a book forever; ownership is the card that lets you own the book, not just borrow it.
Open term →owns
Owning a bike is like having the only hall pass that lets you ride it wherever you want, and you can decide who else gets to use it.
Open term →personal property
Think of a hall pass: it lets you move around school, just like personal property lets you move, sell, or pledge a thing you own.
Open term →