Merger Doctrine (property Law)

In the law of real property, the merger doctrine stands for the proposition that the contract for the conveyance of property merges into the deed of conveyance; therefore, any guarantees made in the contract that are not reflected in the deed are extinguished when the deed is conveyed to the buyer of the property.

The merger doctrine traditionally applies only to covenants of title. The parties may by contract abrogate the doctrine and provide that some or all terms of the contract survive the closing and delivery of the deed.