loader image

What Is a Legal Description of Property Document?

Curious what a legal description of property document is? It’s a very short document, usually only about five sentences long, which describes a piece of real estate. In most cases, the legal description of property comes with a survey sketch as a visual way to determine the boundaries of a property.

This is an essential document in real estate transactions since it is a unique identifier to ensure everyone knows the details about the property that is being sold. A description of property is created by legal professionals but may be written in various ways depending on the property and its location.

What Is Included in the Document?

Several things must be included in legal descriptions of property. The following should be contained somewhere within the document:

  • Information about the subdivision, town, or county
  • The complete acreage of the real estate property
  • All of the defining features of the land
  • Where the exact boundary lines of the property can be found

As such, a legal description of property is not the same as the address of the property. While the address helps you find the property on a map, addresses can change. A legal description of property has the specific boundaries of the property and how much land is sold. While it can be more complicated and longer, it’s also more precise.

When Do You Need a Legal Description of Property?

The main time when a legal description of property is needed is when ownership of real estate is moved from one person to another. As such, the legal description is most often included in property deeds and signifies what piece of property is being described.

However, it will also be in sales contracts, mortgage papers, and other legal documents related to land. The main purpose of the legal description of property is to ensure everyone involved knows the boundaries of the real estate that is being sold. It is required to transfer the property to another owner.

In some cases, the legal description of property may also be used in disputes between neighbors over the boundaries of property. A surveyor will look at the description as a way to decide who is correct in the dispute.

If you need a legal description of property, The attorneys at Bell & Shah can help you with creating the document. It has exact boundaries and will be needed if you plan to sell a piece of property. Several methods can be used to determine the boundaries depending on the situation.

Share:

More Posts

Tips for a Successful Closing

With the Winter season coming quickly here in Chicagoland, you may be feeling the pressure to close that real estate deal. As you prepare to finalize your final purchase, take a moment to make sure you are setting yourself up

Working with an Attorney to Sell Your Home

If you are putting your home on the market, or if you are considering selling other real estate property, you are likely already working with a realtor. However, working with the right experienced attorney from Bell & Shah can make

How to Choose Your Durable Power of Attorney Agent

Completing advance directives is a responsible part of building your estate plan. Not only do you have the opportunity to dictate what matters to you at the end of life, completing certain tasks can give you control over who advocates

Avoiding mistakes when setting up partnerships

As established contractual relationships, Illinois partnerships can be difficult to untangle when things go wrong. When people are preparing to go into business with one another, it is important to take steps to avoid potentially costly errors if the partnership

Consultation Request

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Disclaimer

The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for advice regarding your individual situation. We invite you to contact us and welcome your calls, letters and electronic mail. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. Please do not send any confidential information to us until such time as an attorney-client relationship has been established.

Disclaimer

The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for advice regarding your individual situation. We invite you to contact us and welcome your calls, letters and electronic mail. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. Please do not send any confidential information to us until such time as an attorney-client relationship has been established.

We are committed to removing barriers that prevent persons with disabilities from interacting with or accessing information on our website. If you encounter any difficulty in this regard please let us know and we will make reasonable good faith efforts to fix the issue. 

Skip to content