Need to know the Ad Litem definition after coming across this weird term?
Ad litem is short for “Guardian Ad Litem” or “Attorney Ad litem”, a legal term that refers to the person appointed by the court to investigate what results would be of best interest to the child (or a grownup that is legally incapacitated of representing himself) in the lawsuit at hand. The Guardian Ad Litem (GAL), then, represents that person and fights for that outcome.
The most common use for it is in divorce lawsuits. But in Real Estate it can also have many uses:
- Say a kid becomes an orphan – a GAL will be appointed to act on his or her behalf in court regarding the kid’s rights to inheritance.
- If a situation arises for a non-verbal person with special needs and no relatives that leads to a Homes for the disabled lawsuit, the court will also appoint a GAL.
- It can even be used in a property litigation: to act on behalf of an estate if the owners are unavailable or unwilling to do so.
Lastly, in case you’re wondering: The root of the Ad Litem definition comes from Latin. The word Ad Litem means “for the suit”, or “for the proceeding”.
Have a Real Estate Agent as your guardian, protecting your best interests at all times!
Popular Real Estate Terms
(1) Subunit integral to a larger unit. (Usually associated with furniture). (2) Permanent fixture or appliance which is not intended to be portable and cannot easily be removed. A home has ...
Representation on a flat surface of any region that depicts the elevation of that region. ...
Individual: Adjusted gross income less itemized deductions and personal exemptions. After taxable income is computed, the tax to be paid can be determined by looking at the tax rate ...
Residential structure designed to house more than one family. Smaller multifamily housing units include duplexes, triplexes, and quadriplexes. Larger multifamily housing is normally termed ...
Amount required to payoff the full balance of the mortgage today. The amount equals the principal balance plus any prepayment penalty. ...
Provision in a lease agreement in which the lessee is given the right to buy the property at the end of lease term. In many cases, the option price is attractive to encourage acquisition. ...
Permission to do something that differs from the basic zoning requirement. An example is a homeowner receiving special authorization to build a two-family house in a single family zoned ...
Way to determine the capitalization rate of income property for valuation purposes by weighting the rate of interest and source of financing in percentage terms. ...
Bottom of a frame such as a window sill. ...

Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.