Real estate title glossary
What is fee simple?
Also called: fee simple absolute
Definition
Fee simple is the most complete form of ownership of land: it lasts indefinitely and the owner can sell, mortgage or leave it by will.
Most homeowners hold fee simple title. Lesser estates include a life estate, which ends at a person's death, and a leasehold, which ends with the lease.
How it shows up in a title search
A deed that conveys less than fee simple, such as a life estate with a remainder, changes who must sign the next deed or mortgage, so a search reads the granting language.
Guides that go deeper
- Life Estate Deed: How It Works, Who Owns What, and How It Shows in TitleA life estate deed gives one person use of a property for life and names who gets it next. See the roles, what each can do, and how it appears in the record.
- Deed vs Title: What Each One Is and How They Work TogetherA deed is the document that transfers ownership. Title is the ownership itself. How the two differ, what legal and equitable title mean, and where to find each.
- Transfer on Death Deed: How It Works, What It Skips and How It Shows in the RecordA transfer on death deed passes real estate to a named beneficiary at the owner's death without probate. What the Texas and Arizona statutes require, and the traps.
Related terms
Source: Legal Information Institute, Wex: fee simple. Plain-English summary of general US usage; state law varies, and this is not legal advice.