Quitclaim Deed

A quitclaim deed transfers whatever ownership interest the grantor has in a property — if any — with no warranties or guarantees about the title.

A quitclaim deed transfers whatever interest the person signing it has in a property — which may be full ownership, a partial share, or nothing at all — with zero warranties. The grantor is not promising they own the property, that the title is clean, or that they will defend your claim if someone else shows up with a better one. That is the entire difference from a warranty deed, where the seller guarantees clear title and stands behind it.

Quitclaims are the right tool for specific jobs: transfers between family members, adding or removing a spouse after a marriage or divorce, moving a property you already own into your LLC, and clearing clouds on title. That last one shows up constantly in distressed and probate deals — an heir with a possible claim signs a quitclaim so the sale can close, and title companies routinely require exactly that before they will insure a title with a messy estate behind it.

What beginners get wrong: buying with one. If someone offers to sell you a house by quitclaim deed — often cheap, often urgent — understand that you are buying their claim, not the house, and there may be no claim to buy. Quitclaim scams work precisely because the deed looks official and records normally. In a real purchase, close through a title company, get a title search and title insurance, and receive a warranty deed. This is not legal advice — deed questions are exactly what real estate attorneys are for.