If a required legal description is too long for a contract form, what can be done?

When a required legal description in a contract is too lengthy to fit into the available space on the form, the best practice is to include it as an addendum to the contract. An addendum is a supplementary document that can provide additional details or clarify aspects of the original contract, such as extended legal descriptions. By using an addendum, all parties involved can refer to the complete legal description while keeping the main contract document manageable and organized. This approach ensures that the full legal description is preserved accurately and can be referenced as needed without altering the main form inappropriately.

In contrast, simply indicating that a lengthy description will be provided in escrow does not give the parties immediate access to the necessary information. Replacing the legal description with a shorter, potentially inaccurate version could lead to misunderstandings about the property’s boundaries or legal status. Editing and shortening the description by the licensee, without proper guidance or authority, could also result in misrepresentation or the omission of critical details that are legally significant for the property in question. Therefore, utilizing an addendum is the most responsible and effective method to address the issue of a lengthy legal description in a real estate contract.