Warranty Deed: Meaning, the Six Covenants, and How It Differs From a Quitclaim
A warranty deed is the deed where the seller guarantees clear title. The six covenants, a quitclaim comparison, and the Cook County share of warranty deeds.
Quick answer
A warranty deed is a deed in which the seller (the grantor) guarantees to the buyer (the grantee) that the seller owns the property and that it is free of liens and claims, other than those the deed states. If a title problem appears later, the buyer can hold the seller to that promise.
What is a warranty deed?
The Legal Information Institute describes it this way: a warranty deed is a document where the grantor "guarantees clear title to the property being sold," and "This deed offers the highest level of protection to the buyer during the transfer of ownership" (Legal Information Institute, warranty deed).
That is the meaning of warranty deed in one idea: the deed does not only move ownership, it adds promises. A grantor is the person giving the property. A grantee is the person receiving it. If the promises turn out to be false, the grantee may have a claim against the grantor.
You will often see the abbreviation "WD" or "wd deed" in a county index. It is shorthand for a warranty deed, and it is one of the most common document types in a chain of title.
Definition
Warranty deed — A deed in which the grantor promises the grantee that the grantor has good title to the property and will defend that title against other claims.
What promises does a warranty deed make?
A full warranty deed carries six traditional covenants. A covenant is a promise written into, or implied by, the deed. The Legal Information Institute lists them as follows (Legal Information Institute, deed):
- Covenant of seisin: the grantor has good right of ownership in the property, with the right to convey it.
- Covenant of right to convey: the grantor has not contracted to sell the property to someone else.
- Covenant against encumbrances: there are no encumbrances, such as liens on the property, other than those disclosed.
- Covenant of quiet enjoyment: the grantee and their heirs and assigns will keep the property without interruption or loss of possession.
- Covenant of warranty: the grantor will defend the buyer against anyone who later claims title.
- Covenant of further assurances: the grantor must take further steps to cure defects and protect the buyer, even defects that predate the grantor's ownership.
What is a general warranty deed, and how is it different from a special warranty deed?
A general warranty deed makes those promises for the whole history of the property, including the time before the grantor owned it. A special warranty deed warrants only against defects that arose during the grantor's own ownership. The Legal Information Institute says that with a special warranty deed, the grantor "does not offer any protections or guarantee against any title defects that existed before the seller owned the property."
Special warranty deeds are common in commercial deals because, as the same source notes, the parties typically rely on title insurance for title protection. Our separate comparison of special and general warranty deeds goes through that choice in detail. A related deed, the grant deed, is used in some western states and is covered in its own guide.
Quitclaim deed vs warranty deed: what is the difference?
A warranty deed promises the title is good. A quitclaim deed passes whatever interest the grantor has, if any, and promises nothing about it. The table puts the two side by side. The quitclaim deed guide explains the other half in depth.
| Question | Warranty deed | Quitclaim deed |
|---|---|---|
| Does the grantor promise good title? | Yes, through covenants | No |
| Protection for the buyer | Highest of the common deed types | None beyond what the grantor actually owned |
| Typical use | Ordinary sales | Transfers between family, spouses, trusts, or fixes to a record |
| If a title defect appears later | Buyer may sue the grantor on the covenants | Buyer generally has no claim against the grantor on the deed |
| Does it replace title insurance? | No | No |
How do states treat warranty deeds?
States do not all treat the covenants the same way. Some write the promise into a statutory form. Some imply covenants from short words. A few examples from official statute pages:
Florida prescribes a form of warranty deed. The form includes the words "does hereby fully warrant the title to said land, and will defend the same against the lawful claims of all persons whomsoever" (Fla. Stat. 689.02, Online Sunshine). The next section says a conveyance in substantially that form "must be held to be a warranty deed with full common-law covenants" (Fla. Stat. 689.03, Online Sunshine).
Texas works differently. Its Property Code gives a form that conveys a fee simple estate "with a covenant of general warranty," and adds that a covenant of warranty is not required in a conveyance (Tex. Prop. Code 5.022, a public mirror of the statute). A separate section says that, unless the deed provides otherwise, using the word "grant" or "convey" implies only two covenants: the grantor has not already conveyed the estate to someone else, and the estate is free from encumbrances at the time of the deed (Tex. Prop. Code 5.023).
The practical lesson: the label on the first page is not the whole answer. The covenants a buyer actually has come from the deed's wording and the law of the state where the land sits. Read the deed itself, and ask a real estate attorney if the stakes are high.
How common are warranty deeds?
In a county that publishes its deed types, they dominate. Cook County, Illinois, lists a deed type on each recorded parcel sale. For sales between 2025-08-13 and 2026-08-12, the Assessor's data show 62,543 sales, of which 44,359 were recorded as warranty deeds, roughly 71 percent (Cook County Assessor, Parcel Sales).
The dataset counts parcel sale records, so one deed covering several parcels can appear more than once. Read the figures as a mix, not as an exact count of deeds. Quitclaim deeds were 865 of those records, a small share of arm's-length sales.
| Deed type, Cook County parcel sales | Records, 2025-08-13 to 2026-08-12 |
|---|---|
| Warranty | 44,359 |
| Other | 9,001 |
| Trustee | 8,467 |
| Quit claim | 865 |
| Executor | 508 |
What a warranty deed does not do
How can you check a warranty deed in the record?
Find the deed
Search the county clerk, recorder or register of deeds index by owner name or parcel. Our guide to how to do a title search walks through the method.
Read the grantor and grantee
Confirm the grantor is the person who received title in the previous deed. A mismatch is a break in the chain.
Check the type and the wording
Look for words such as "general warranty" or "special warranty." The deed type decides how far the grantor's promises go.
Note any exceptions
Warranty deeds usually say the title is subject to certain matters, such as easements or restrictions. Those are not covered by the promise.
Look for liens recorded since
A deed shows ownership at one date. Search for mortgages, judgments and tax liens recorded after it. See how to check for liens on a property.
Where do warranty deeds show up in a records search?
A records search lists the deeds in a property's history, including each deed type, so you can see which links were warranty deeds and which were quitclaims or trustee deeds. HeritageDeed runs Current Owner Search ($49), Two Owner Search ($79) and 30-Year Search ($129) in the counties listed on the title search page, for example Cook County, Illinois and Duval County, Florida.
A search is not title insurance and not legal advice. It shows what the public record contains.
Key takeaways
Key takeaways
- A warranty deed is a deed where the grantor guarantees good title and promises to defend it.
- The six traditional covenants are seisin, right to convey, against encumbrances, quiet enjoyment, warranty and further assurances.
- A general warranty deed covers the whole history of the property. A special warranty deed covers only the grantor's own ownership.
- A quitclaim deed makes no promise about title. A warranty deed does.
- State law shapes the covenants, so read the deed wording and the local statute.
- In Cook County's 2025 to 2026 parcel sales data, about 71 percent of records were warranty deeds.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a warranty deed?
- A warranty deed is a deed in which the seller guarantees that they own the property and that it is free of liens and claims other than those stated. The buyer can hold the seller to that promise if a title problem appears later.
- What does WD mean on a deed?
- In county indexes and title records, "WD" is a common shorthand for warranty deed. The index entry names the document type, so a WD line tells you the grantor gave covenants of title, which you can confirm by reading the deed itself.
- What is the difference between a general warranty deed and a special warranty deed?
- A general warranty deed protects the buyer against title defects from any time, including before the grantor owned the property. A special warranty deed protects only against defects that arose while the grantor owned it. Special warranty deeds are common in commercial deals.
- What is the difference between a quitclaim deed and a warranty deed?
- A warranty deed promises the title is good and lets the buyer pursue the grantor if it is not. A quitclaim deed transfers whatever interest the grantor has, if any, with no promise at all. Quitclaims are common between relatives and for fixing a record.
- Does a warranty deed protect you from title problems?
- Partly. It gives you a right to claim against the seller, but it does not remove the defect, and the claim is only as good as the seller's ability to pay. Title insurance is a separate product that covers covered losses directly.
- Do you need a warranty deed to sell a house?
- Not always. The type of deed is set by the sale contract and state practice. Many residential sales use a warranty deed, but some use a special warranty deed or another form. In Texas, for example, a covenant of warranty is not required in a conveyance.
- Who signs a warranty deed?
- The grantor, the person giving the property, signs it, and it must be delivered to the grantee. Most states also require a notary acknowledgment before the county will record it. Check the recording rules for the county where the property sits.
- Is a warranty deed the same as a title?
- No. Title is the legal right to own the property. A deed is the document that transfers that right. A warranty deed is one kind of deed, one that carries promises about the title being transferred.
Sources
Primary records and official documentation cited in this article.
- 1Legal Information Institute, Wex: warranty deed
- 2Legal Information Institute, Wex: deed
- 3Online Sunshine, Florida Statutes 689.02
- 4Online Sunshine, Florida Statutes 689.03
- 5Texas.Public.Law, Property Code 5.022 Form
- 6Texas.Public.Law, Property Code 5.023 Implied Covenants
- 7Cook County Assessor, Parcel Sales
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