One way of categorizing deeds is by the type warranty the grantor in the deed is providing in connection with the ownership history (title history) of the property.

For real estate, the warranty provided in a deed is what the grantor will defend against and/or repair.

And, the most commonly known types of warranty deeds range from coverage of the full ownership history of the property to no warranties at all and they are (in order): general warranty deed, special warranty deed, and quitclaim deed.

In a special warranty deed, the grantor is responsible for issues and claims related only to the period of time they owned the property. They are not responsible for any claims or issues prior to their ownership.

Unlike the others, in a quitclaim deed the grantor makes no warrants that they own the property free and clear of all claims.