Legal Definitions - conveyance

A conveyance refers to the legal act of transferring ownership or a specific interest in property from one individual or entity to another. It also commonly refers to the written document, such as a deed, that formally completes this transfer. Essentially, it is the process or the legal instrument used to officially move property rights from one party to another.

Here are some examples to illustrate the concept of a conveyance:

• Selling a Home: When a homeowner sells their house to a buyer, the signing and recording of the deed that transfers legal title from the seller to the buyer is a conveyance. The deed itself is also often referred to as the conveyance document. This act legally moves the full ownership rights of the property from one party to another.

  • How it illustrates the term: This is a direct transfer of the entire property interest (ownership) from the seller to the buyer, accomplished through a formal legal document (the deed).

• Granting an Easement: A property owner might grant a local municipality the right to run a public sewer line across a specific portion of their land. This doesn't transfer full ownership of the land, but it transfers a specific, limited property interest (an easement) to the municipality. The written agreement formalizing this right is a conveyance.

  • How it illustrates the term: Here, a specific property right (the right to use a portion of land for a sewer line) is transferred, rather than full ownership. The legal document creating this right is a conveyance.

• Transferring Mineral Rights: A rancher might own land but decide to sell only the subsurface mineral rights (like oil and gas) beneath their property to an energy company, while retaining ownership of the surface land. The legal document that separates these rights and transfers the mineral interest to the energy company is a conveyance.

  • How it illustrates the term: This example shows the transfer of a distinct, separable property interest (mineral rights) from one party to another, even though the original owner retains other interests in the same physical property.