Title and transfer
Lis pendens
A recorded notice that litigation affecting title to a property is pending
Latin for "suit pending". Recording it warns the world that the property is the subject of a lawsuit, so anyone who buys or lends against it takes subject to whatever the court decides. It is a notice rather than a lien, and it clouds title until it is released.
How the exam asks about it
The function is constructive notice. A buyer cannot claim to have been unaware of a suit whose lis pendens was on record.
Related terms
Sitting the license exam? Find out what you actually know.
Free practice questions built to the published national content outline, with an explanation after every answer. No account, no paywall.
Independent exam preparation. Real Estate Exam Bank is not a state-approved pre-licensing course and completing anything here does not satisfy any state education requirement. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or authorized by any state real estate commission, Pearson VUE, or PSI. Practice questions here are original study material, not the official exam.