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Easement: what it means

An easement is a person's or company's right to use or control land owned by someone else, or the space above or below it, for a specific, limited purpose. One example is a utility company's right to run lines or pipes on a lot.

In Spanish it is

Servidumbre (easement)

Also written as: right-of-way · utility easement

Verified on October 17, 2026

2 official sources

See the whole dictionary

The full explanation

Another is an agreement between neighbors to share a driveway. Easements can show up as exceptions in a title insurance policy. Fannie Mae accepts certain common easements under conditions, such as not running under the house or interfering with the use of the property.

An example

In the paperwork for the home he wants to buy, Javier sees an easement at the back of the lot for power lines. Before signing, he asks what he can build on that part of the land.

You will see it in…

The title insurance policy and its list of exceptions
The property's title documents
Agreements between neighbors to share a driveway

Words that go with it

You will rarely see this word alone. These are the ones that show up with it on the same papers.

Still confused by a paper?

A HUD-approved housing counselor can walk you through it. Agencies usually charge little or nothing, many work in Spanish, and they do not sell you anything.

What a housing counselor does See free help

Official sources

We sum up what these official sources say, in plain words. We add no rules they do not state; when a rule changes, the definition and its date change.

1. HUD · FHA Single Family Housing Policy Handbook 4000.1: Glossary (Easement) (external site) · in English · Verified on October 17, 2026
2. Fannie Mae · Selling Guide B7-2-05: Title Exceptions and Impediments (external site) · in English · Verified on October 17, 2026