Definition of "Penalty"

Amount to be paid by a person or business for violating a statute or legal court order. It may also be assessed for violating the provisions of a contract. Examples of penalties are a charge made by the Internal Revenue Service for underpaying corporate income taxes, penalty assessed by a municipality for failing to pay property taxes, penalty due to prepaying a mortgage, amount arising from breaking a real estate contract, and fee due from prematurely terminating a lease.

image of a real estate dictionary page

Have a question or comment?

We're here to help.

*** Your email address will remain confidential.
 

 

Popular Real Estate Terms

A lessening in the inflation rate. This may occur during a recession when insufficient demand prevents sellers from passing on higher prices to prospective buyers of houses. See also ...

Something coming before. Examples are the year before, first lien on property, and previous owner of property. ...

One who has committed a tort. A tort is a civil wrong that occurs as a result of a breach of legal duty owed to someone, e.g., negligence. A tort does not arise from a breach of contract. ...

Local group of real estate brokers who are members of the State and National Board of REALTORS®. Meets regularly with their membership and helps determine licensing requirements as well as ...

Doing business as, or DBA, means an official moniker for your enterprise or company. Regularly, a DBA is a state certificate serving as a registration name and issued under a ...

Passing of title to property that is in fact not valid. ...

Under current tax law, real estate is depreciated under either the straight-line method or modified accelerated cost recovery system (MACRS) method. See also MACRS. ...

A lien that makes property security for the repayment of debt. Mortgages can finance the acquisition of real estate such as a home. A mortgage has certain benefits compared to other debt ...

Early American style 1 story house with a steep gable roof covered with shingles. The bedrooms are on the first floor, but the attic is often finished and made into additional bedrooms. ...

Popular Real Estate Questions