In a property transfer, which type of defects is a Special Warranty Deed not responsible for?

A Special Warranty Deed provides a limited warranty on the title of the property being transferred. It guarantees that the grantor will defend the title against claims or defects that may have arisen during the grantor's period of ownership. However, it does not cover defects or issues that existed prior to the grantor taking ownership of the property. This is crucial because it places the onus on the grantor to address only those issues that may have occurred while they owned the property, thereby limiting their liability for any historical issues that could affect the property's title.

In this context, defects arising before the grantor's ownership are specifically excluded from the grantor's responsibility under a Special Warranty Deed. This means that if a defect or issue was present on the title before the grantor acquired the property, the Special Warranty Deed does not protect the buyer from that defect.

Other options involve potential risks or issues that the buyer might face but do not pertain to the specific limitations of a Special Warranty Deed. For example, defects during the title examination process might relate to how adequately title matters were researched or disclosed but do not reflect on the limitations of the warranty itself. Similarly, defects related to property zoning and those identified by the buyer’s inspection are matters