Robert receives a quitclaim deed from his business partner conveying a commercial lot in Virginia. Robert later discovers that his partner had no ownership interest in the lot whatsoever — the lot actually belongs to an unrelated third party. What is Robert's legal position regarding his ownership of the lot?

Correct Answer

B) Robert has no ownership interest in the lot because his partner had no interest to convey

A quitclaim deed conveys only whatever interest the grantor holds at the time of execution — nothing more, nothing less. If the grantor has no interest in the property, a quitclaim deed conveys nothing. Because Robert's partner had no ownership interest in the commercial lot, the quitclaim deed transferred no title to Robert. Robert has no ownership interest in the property. This is the fundamental risk of accepting a quitclaim deed — the grantee receives only what the grantor actually has, which may be nothing.