Severalty
National Real Estate Exam glossary · Property Ownership
Definition
Ownership of property by one person or entity alone—sole and several from all others. Despite a name that suggests plurality, ownership in severalty means there is a single owner, in contrast to any form of co-ownership.
Severalty in plain English
Severalty is just a fancy legal word for "owned by one and only one person (or one company)." The confusing part is that it sounds like "several," which makes you think of many owners, but it actually means the opposite: complete, solo ownership with nobody sharing the title. Think of a phone that's registered to you alone versus a shared family plan where everyone's name is on the account. When you own in severalty, you make every decision about the property yourself, and no co-owner can block you or claim a piece.
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