Dower Interest

What Does Dower Interest Mean?

A dower interest is a widow's right to own a certain amount of her husband's property after he dies if no will has been left.

Many title insurance companies have to check to make sure that there is no dower interest before they write a title insurance policy.

Insuranceopedia Explains Dower Interest

If there is a dower interest on a property, it can create a lot of complications for people trying to buy the property or for the title insurance companies that are trying to write a policy for the property. This is because a widow might decide to use her dower interest to retain control of the property after it has been sold, which could leave new buyers out of a lot of money. So, whether dower interests are in effect in a given state is a very important consideration before performing these transactions.