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# What happens when I sign a quitclaim deed?
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/what-happens-when-i-sign-a-quitclaim-deed/
- Published: 2003-02-17T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T23:14:54.000Z
- Author: David Pisarra
- Tags: Opinion, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*LEGAL VIEWS AND NEWS*

In the State of California, the signing of a quitclaim deed has very important AND DRASTIC consequences.

A quitclaim is as simple as “I’m giving up all interest I have in this property as of today.” The effect of that simple sentence is that the courts in California have interpreted this to mean that the party granting the quitclaim gives up all interest they have in the property (the “Grantor”), which they have acquired up to the date of the quitclaim.

As an illustration, let’s assume that you and your spouse have owned real property for 10 years. At the end of the 10 years, you sign a quitclaim deed to your spouse. Once you sign a quitclaim deed, all the interest and principal that has been paid into that asset becomes owned by the spouse. You no longer have a financial interest in that real property.

If you sign a quitclaim deed, you are giving up all ownership and right of reimbursement of monies that you had in the real property, EVEN IF YOU ARE LEGALLY MARRIED.

In California, married parties making contributions after a quitclaim deed has been signed obtain an interest in relation to the amount of money contributed.

However, the new amount of ownership for the quitclaim signer is only the principal amount paid, without interest.

For illustration purposes, assume the same married couple, after signing of the quitclaim deed, stay together for another five years. At the end of five years, they separate. As of that date, the Grantor has an interest of the principal paid during the past five years. The Grantee, on the other hand, has 10 years of separate interest and five years interest. It does not take a mathematician to see that the party who signed the quitclaim deed has a substantially smaller interest.

The situation asked about is where one party has good credit and the other has bad credit. In order to receive the best possible interest rate, the party with the bad credit signs a quitclaim on the real property. If the loan gets funded, and after a few years the parties separate, the party who signed the quitclaim deed has now lost a substantial financial asset.

What this demonstrates is that there are big consequences to signing a quitclaim. It may seem like just a simple piece of paper and only takes a second to sign, but the implications and financial repercussions are substantial. Therefore, it is always best to consult an attorney before signing any legal document. (David Pisarra is a partner in the Santa Monica law firm of Pisarra & Grist. He (310) 664-9969 or by e-mail at)

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 17, 2003.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/021703.pdf?ref=smdp.com)