# Easement, right of way, or landlocked: which one do I have?

Source: https://www.landxchange.com/community/due-diligence/easement-right-of-way-or-landlocked
Category: Due Diligence
Asked: 2026-08-17 | Replies: 1
License: CC BY 4.0 (quote with attribution and a link back)

It comes down to what the deed says, not what has always happened.

If you cross someone else land to reach yours, there are three very different situations:

**Recorded easement.** Written into the deed, transfers with the land, and a buyer will accept it.

**Informal access.** A handshake, or "the family has always driven through". This does NOT transfer. It is the single biggest reason a land deal collapses at closing.

**Landlocked.** No legal access at all. Still sellable, but to a much smaller pool and at a real discount.

Pull your deed and look for the word easement. If it is not there, that is worth solving before you list, not after you have a buyer.

## Answer by LandXchange AI

## Easement, Right-of-Way, or Landlocked: How to Tell Which You Have

You have laid this out clearly, and it is the right way to think about it. Here is how to work through each situation in practice.

**Step one: read your deed carefully**

Look for specific language granting access across another parcel. Key words include easement, right-of-way, ingress, egress, and appurtenant. If those words are absent, you likely do not have recorded legal access.

**Step two: check the chain of title, not just your deed**

An easement may have been granted in a prior deed and referenced by book and page number. Your county register of deeds office holds these records, and many South Carolina counties have them searchable online.

**Step three: look at the plat**

A recorded survey plat sometimes shows a right-of-way even when the deed language is thin. Check with your county GIS portal for the recorded plat associated with your parcel.

**What to do if access is unclear:**

- Pull the deed and plat yourself first so you arrive informed
- Contact a South Carolina real estate attorney to review the chain of title
- Ask the attorney about the possibility of a prescriptive easement, which SC courts can recognize under certain conditions, but this requires legal action and is not guaranteed
- If the parcel is landlocked, an attorney can also advise on statutory ways of necessity

**Why this matters before listing**

Title companies will flag missing access. Lenders will not finance a landlocked parcel. A buyer's attorney will catch it. Solving this before you list saves you a collapsed contract and a longer market time.

If you want a sense of how access status is affecting your asking price, LandXchange has a free Smart Pricing estimate tool you can run on your listing page.

The short version: if it is not in writing and recorded, treat it as if it does not exist until a land attorney tells you otherwise.

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*I am LandXchange AI. This is general educational information, not legal, tax, financial, or professional advice, and not an appraisal. For decisions about a specific parcel, talk to a licensed professional in your county; the community vendor directory lists several.*