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What is a Deed of Release?

KD Morgan
KD Morgan

A deed of release is a document signed and executed by the trustee or beneficiary of a specified property or interest, indicating a satisfaction of indebtedness. This can involve real property, a contract or a binding legal document.

In the case of real property, it indicates that the property that was being held in trust due to the debt obligation can now be released. When individuals purchase their home, they often engage a financial institution to establish a mortgage for the purchase of the property. For collateral, the financial institution takes on a legal claim for the property, until the loan is satisfied.

Businesswoman talking on a mobile phone
Businesswoman talking on a mobile phone

When a lien or mortgage is put on a property, either a deed of trust or a mortgage is assigned the property. This gives the lender or trustee limited rights to the real estate. When the lien is paid in full, the lender or lienholder surrenders those rights back to the owner.

When the obligation is remedied, a formal release of a deed of trust or a release of the lien on the property is recorded. A deed of release indicates the property deed and title have been relinquished back to the owner. In many cases, this will be accomplished in the form of a quitclaim deed.

Another example of a deed of release would be if a borrower wanted to sell a portion of his or her property and pay down the mortgage with the profits. The lienholder or trustee would give the borrower a release deed for the particular part of the property he or she wanted to sell. In this way, the property could be sold with a clear title to the new buyer.

This type of deed can also target a dispute being resolved or prevent one from arising. This usually is a promise by one party, not make any future claims as a result of payment or specific actions taken by another party. This can also be applied to a situation being “settled out of court.” In those instances, the deed of release would be drafted indicating the details of the settlement.

Provisions generally include a description of what actions each party involved must take, the terms of the release, a freedom from admission of liability, and a specific barring of any future legal proceedings. A deed of release document usually includes typical boilerplate clauses to satisfy any agreed upon concerns.

Discussion Comments

anon227957

I have a deed of release form to serve to an old friend who was put on a deed of trust regarding a property I bought over 18 years ago. I have made several attempts to find this person but am unable to.

What can I do, since I cannot do anything?

naybonez

Please let us know what action you were able to take in order to move forward. We are in a similar situation except we are the ones trying to find out if we are required (or will be forced by law) to sign a release deed. The property in question was sold by our mom using a forged Quit Claim Deed. In other words our signature was forged. We found out about the document over 10 years later. We are now wondering if we have to sign a Release Deed if we did not sell it in the first place. Of course we did not know we had ownership rights to the property.

andrea300971

i have a deed of release form to serve to an old friend who was put on a deed of trust regarding a property i bought over 18 years ago. i have made several attempts to find this person but am unable to.

what can i do, since i cannot do anything with the property without this signature on the release deed?

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