Washington County Quitclaim Deed (Reserving Life Estate) Form
Last validated July 31, 2026 by our Forms Development Team
Washington County Quitclaim Deed (Reserving Life Estate) Form
Fill in the blank Quitclaim Deed (Reserving Life Estate) form formatted to comply with all Illinois recording and content requirements.

Washington County Quitclaim Deed (Reserving Life Estate) Guide
Line by line guide explaining every blank on the Quitclaim Deed (Reserving Life Estate) form.

Washington County Completed Example of the Quitclaim Deed (Reserving Life Estate) Document
Example of a properly completed Illinois Quitclaim Deed (Reserving Life Estate) document for reference.
All 3 documents above included • One-time purchase • No recurring fees
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Additional Illinois and Washington County documents included at no extra charge:
Where to Record Your Documents
Washington County Clerk/Recorder
Nashville, Illinois 62263
Hours: 8:00 to 4:00 M-F
Phone: (618) 327-4800 Ext 300
Recording Tips for Washington County:
- White-out or correction fluid may cause rejection
- Verify all names are spelled correctly before recording
- Ask if they accept credit cards - many offices are cash/check only
- Double-check legal descriptions match your existing deed
- Recording early in the week helps ensure same-week processing
Cities and Jurisdictions in Washington County
Properties in any of these areas use Washington County forms:
- Addieville
- Ashley
- Du Bois
- Hoyleton
- Irvington
- Nashville
- Oakdale
- Okawville
- Radom
- Richview
Hours, fees, requirements, and more for Washington County
How do I get my forms?
Forms are available for immediate download after payment. The Washington County forms will be in your account ready to download to your computer. An account is created for you during checkout if you don't have one. Forms are NOT emailed.
Are these forms guaranteed to be recordable in Washington County?
Yes. Our form blanks are guaranteed to meet or exceed the applicable formatting requirements used for recording in Washington County, including margin requirements, font requirements, and other layout standards. This guarantee applies to formatting, not to the legal sufficiency of information entered by the user or the suitability of a form for a particular transaction.
Can I reuse these forms?
Yes. You can reuse the forms for your personal use. For example, if you have multiple properties in Washington County you only need to order once.
What do I need to use these forms?
The forms are PDFs that you fill out on your computer. You'll need Adobe Reader (free software that most computers already have). You do NOT enter your property information online - you download the blank forms and complete them privately on your own computer.
Are there any recurring fees?
No. This is a one-time purchase. Nothing to cancel, no memberships, no recurring fees.
How much does it cost to record in Washington County?
Recording fees in Washington County vary. Contact the recorder's office at (618) 327-4800 Ext 300 for current fees.
Questions answered? Let's get started!
Most Illinois quitclaim deeds empty the grantor's hands. This one holds something back. A single individual grantor quit claims the remainder interest in Illinois real estate and reserves a life estate in it, so ownership divides along a lifetime rather than among parties: the grantor keeps possession and income for life, and the grantees hold an interest whose possession waits.
The express words that keep a life estate
765 ILCS 5/13 does the quiet work here: every estate conveyed is deemed a fee simple estate of inheritance where a lesser estate is not limited by express words. This deed supplies them. The statutory quit claim words of 765 ILCS 5/10 reach all of the grantor's right, title, interest, claim, and demand, and the same sentence saves and reserves a life estate for the term of the grantor's natural life, with the use, possession, rents, income, and profits during that term. Illinois prescribes no statutory life estate deed form, so the drafting rests on Section 13 and Illinois decisions on life estates and remainders.
What the remaindermen own before they can move in
The interest the grantees receive is present, not promised. A remainder that depends on no contingency vests when the deed is delivered, with possession deferred, as Pingrey v. Rulon describes; at the life tenant's death possession vests without action by an executor (Corney v. Corney). Because the remainder is already conveyed, the arrangement is not revocable at will: a later deed signed by the life tenant alone moves only the life estate, and selling the fee during the life estate takes the signatures of the life tenant and every remainderman. Illinois has no verified authority for the retained-power pattern other states market as an enhanced life estate deed.
What the reserved life estate configuration carries
The form recites one individual grantor, who is both the life tenant and the measuring life, one grantee block for the remainder, one signature line, and one acknowledgment certificate. A separate section takes the form in which two or more grantees hold the remainder; where it states no form, 765 ILCS 1005/1 leaves them as tenants in common. Title patterns presenting this configuration include a sole owner placing the remainder with adult children while keeping the right to occupy the home for life, an owner of farm ground moving the remainder to the next generation while keeping the crop rents for life, and an owner who conveys the remainder to a niece and nephew. Two record owners, an entity grantor, and a life estate measured by another person's life sit outside this layout, and one signature line does not carry the second signature 735 ILCS 5/12-904 makes a condition of conveying an occupied homestead estate where the owner is married.
Homestead, released in the operative sentence
Homestead language has no effect in Illinois unless a deed states it expressly, under 765 ILCS 5/27, so the statutory clause releasing and waiving all rights under the homestead exemption laws of this State prints inside the granting sentence, where the Illinois statutory forms put it. The exemption protects $50,000 of an individual interest as of January 1, 2026.
Transfer tax when only the remainder moves
35 ILCS 200/31-10 measures the state tax by the value of the real property transferred, at 50 cents per $500, so a deed that conveys a remainder and reserves a life estate raises a valuation question the declaration answers rather than reporting the whole parcel. A taxable transfer travels with Form PTAX-203 or its MyDec equivalent and the stamps; an exempt one records on a signed, dated notation naming its paragraph of 35 ILCS 200/31-45, the route the Will County example takes.
What the recorder reads
Every item Illinois conditions recording on has a labeled place: the preparer under 55 ILCS 5/3-5022, the grantee names and addresses under 55 ILCS 5/3-5026, the return block, the prior document number, the parcel numbers, and the tax bill endorsement of 765 ILCS 5/35c, which on a reserved life estate ordinarily names the life tenant. Letter size sheets and the blank 3 by 5 inch corner keep the deed in the standard fee class.
Three files arrive with the purchase: the fillable life estate quitclaim deed, a completed example filled in through the notary's commission date, and a guide covering every numbered section along with the remainder, homestead, notarization, and recording rules. These materials describe Illinois law in general terms and are not legal advice; an Illinois attorney can speak to a particular title.
Important: Your property must be located in Washington County to use these forms. Documents should be recorded at the office below.
This Quitclaim Deed (Reserving Life Estate) meets all recording requirements specific to Washington County.
Our Promise
The documents you receive here are guaranteed to meet or exceed the applicable Washington County recording format requirements. If there is a rejection caused by our formatting, we will correct the issue or refund your payment. This guarantee applies to document formatting only and does not extend to information entered by the user, the selection of the form, or the legal effect of the completed document.
Save Time and Money
Get your Washington County Quitclaim Deed (Reserving Life Estate) form done right the first time with Deeds.com Uniform Conveyancing Blanks. At Deeds.com, we understand that your time and money are valuable resources, and we don't want you to face a penalty fee or rejection imposed by a county recorder for submitting nonstandard documents. We constantly review and update our forms to meet rapidly changing state and county recording requirements for roughly 3,500 counties and local jurisdictions.
4.8 out of 5 - ( 4774 Reviews )
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March 7th, 2020
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April 19th, 2023
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November 14th, 2019
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September 17th, 2020
The site is easy to navigate and exceptional services. Unfortunately, they could find no information on a tract of land that I own, and they canceled the search and refunded my payment.
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October 6th, 2020
Thank you for making a difficult time a little easier. The forms are easy to download and complete and the Guide is very helpful.
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March 11th, 2026
Delivered the exact documents I wanted, and included a filled out form for guidance. It also included other documents that might be required. Excellent.
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October 28th, 2020
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December 20th, 2019
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April 5th, 2021
It would be helpful if there were a specific example of putting a deed into a trust. Also, the limitation of characters on the description of the property was not enough.
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May 21st, 2020
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October 30th, 2023
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