Which term describes the common wall between two properties?

• A. License
• B. Encroachments
• C. Sole Ownership
• D. Party Wall Easement

Answer: (D)

A shared wall between two properties is a party wall, and the formal arrangement that governs the rights to use and maintain that wall is a party wall easement. This easement creates a legal right for both owners to rely on the wall for support and to perform needed repairs, with duties and cost-sharing spelled out and typically binding on future owners as the property is sold. A license is only a revocable permission and doesn’t create the lasting, enforceable right over the neighbor’s property that an easement does. Encroachments describe structures that intrude onto another’s land, not a mutual right to share a wall. Sole ownership means one person owns the property outright. So the best term describing the common wall in a legal sense is party wall easement.