Real estate title glossary
What is vesting?
Also called: vesting deed, title vesting
Definition
Vesting is how, and in whose names, title to a property is currently held, as stated in the deed by which the current owner took title.
Vesting covers both the names and the form of ownership: sole ownership, tenancy in common, joint tenancy with right of survivorship, tenancy by the entirety, a trust or a company. The vesting deed is the most recent deed into the current owner.
How it shows up in a title search
An owner and encumbrance report starts with the vesting deed. Every mortgage, lien and judgment is then checked against the vested owners' exact names.
Guides that go deeper
- Owner and Encumbrance Report (O&E): What It Shows and What It MissesAn owner and encumbrance (O&E) report names the current owner of record and lists recorded mortgages, liens and judgments. What it covers and what it leaves out.
- Joint Tenancy vs Tenancy in Common: Survivorship, Shares and How the Deed DecidesJoint tenants have a right of survivorship; tenants in common do not. How the deed language decides which one you hold, with the Florida and Arizona rules.
- How to Find Out Who Owns a Property, and Prove ItFind the owner of any property from official records: the assessor gives the owner of record, the recorded deed proves it. Where to look, and why the two disagree.
Related terms
Source: Legal Information Institute, Wex: vest. Plain-English summary of general US usage; state law varies, and this is not legal advice.