What does covenantor mean?
A covenantor is a party who enters into a covenant — that is, a formal, legally binding promise set out in a deed — and who therefore bears the obligations the covenant imposes. The word belongs chiefly to the vocabulary of property law: in a lease, the tenant may be the covenantor who promises to pay rent and repair the premises, while in conveyancing the covenantor may be a seller giving assurances about title. Its counterpart is the covenantee, the party in whose favour the promise is made. A recurring question in English and Commonwealth law concerns whether the burden of a covenant runs with the land, so that a successor to the original covenantor remains bound. Precise, formal, and largely confined to legal documents and judgments, 'covenantor' is nonetheless essential reading in any deed, where identifying exactly who covenants and who benefits determines who must perform.
nounA person or party who enters into a covenant, especially the party who undertakes an obligation under a covenant in a deed; in Scots and English property law, one bound by covenants affecting land.
- A party who makes or enters into a covenant and is bound by its obligations, especially in relation to land or leases.
- In Scots law, a person bound as principal debtor for another's debt by a bond of caution or similar instrument.
"Under the lease, the covenantor agreed to keep the premises in good repair throughout the term."
"The original covenantor remained liable under the restrictive covenant even after selling the land."
"As covenantor under the building agreement, the developer promised to complete the access road within two years."
Standard plural; used when several parties jointly give covenants in a single deed.
"All three covenantors were jointly and severally liable under the agreement."
In property law there are always two sides to every promise — the covenantor makes it, the covenantee takes it, and centuries of case law decide which side the burden follows when land changes hands.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of covenantor
Covenantor derives from 'covenant', which came into Middle English from Old French 'covenir' (to agree), ultimately from Latin 'convenire', meaning to come together or agree. The agent suffix '-or' marks the party performing the act of covenanting, distinguishing the promisor from the beneficiary, the covenantee. The word developed in English legal usage alongside the growth of the common-law deed, and it remains current in both English and Scots conveyancing practice.
How covenantor is actually used
Strictly a legal term of art, found almost exclusively in deeds, leases, conveyances, and case law rather than everyday speech. It carries no informal register and is neutral in connotation, though it implies binding legal obligation.
Easily confused with covenantor
The covenantor is the party who gives the promise and bears the obligation, while the covenantee is the party in whose favour the covenant is made.
A contractor is a party engaged to perform work or supply goods under a contract, whereas a covenantor is specifically a party bound by promises (covenants) in a deed.