Bad Title

Title to property that does not clearly confer ownership. Most frequently applied to real estate, a bad title may prevent a homeowner from selling the property. Title may be clouded by unpaid taxes or other unsatisfied liens, a faulty or incomplete certificate of occupancy, an incorrect survey, or uncorrected building violations, among other causes. Steps must be taken to rectify these problems before title to a property can be legally transferred. Also called cloud on title.

A condition where complete real estate ownership is impaired by unsettled claims and liens and may prevent an owner from selling. See Cloud on Title.
Example: Causes of bad title include unpaid taxes, unpaid liens, incorrect survey, building code violations, and forged documents.