A California buyer reviews a title report and notices the property's legal description references an 'APN' (Assessor's Parcel Number) but contains no other legal description. The buyer's agent should advise the buyer that:
Correct Answer
C) The APN is not a legal description and a proper metes and bounds, lot and block, or government survey description must be used
An Assessor's Parcel Number (APN) is assigned by the county assessor for Proposition 13 tax assessment purposes only. It is NOT a legal description and should never be the sole description in a deed or title document. Under California Civil Code §1092, a grant of real property must contain a description sufficient to identify the property. California title companies will reject a deed that uses only an APN.
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Related Topics & Key Terms
Key Terms:
Related Concepts
Deed restrictions are limitations placed in a deed that control how a property may be used by the current and future owners. They are a form of private land use control that runs with the land.
An easement is a legal right to use another person's land for a specific purpose without owning it. It is a nonpossessory interest in real property that typically runs with the land.
An easement by necessity is created by court order when a property is landlocked and has no access to a public road. It arises from the necessity of accessing the property, not from long-term use.
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