Closings glossary
Quitclaim deed
A deed conveying the grantor's interest without warranties. It proves nothing about what the grantor owned, so it is used where the parties already know the answer.
What is a quitclaim deed used for?
Quick Answer
The full definition
A deed conveying the grantor's interest without warranties. It proves nothing about what the grantor owned, so it is used where the parties already know the answer.
Which related terms should you know?
These are the terms that come up alongside quitclaim deed in the same file.
- Deed
- The instrument that conveys real property. Signature, acknowledgment and delivery make it effective between the parties, while recording is what protects it against later purchasers.
- Bargain and sale deed
- The deed form used in most New York transfers. It passes the seller's interest with limited or no warranty of title, commonly with a covenant against grantor's acts.
- Grantor and grantee
- The two sides of a conveyance: the grantor gives the interest and the grantee takes it. Both names index the instrument in the public record.
- Chain of title
- The sequence of recorded conveyances of a property, from an earlier known owner to the present one. Gaps and defective links in the chain are what a title search is designed to find.
- Recording
- Filing an instrument with the register or county clerk so it becomes part of the public record. Recording establishes priority against later purchasers and lenders.
Where does quitclaim deed come up in a New York City closing?
A Brooklyn heir signs a quitclaim deed releasing her one-third interest so the surviving sibling can deliver full title at the sale.
What else should you read before closing?
Questions this raises
The statute itself
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