singleowner

Singleowner is a term used to describe ownership of a property, asset, or resource by a single person or legal entity, as opposed to shared or co-ownership. In common usage, it is closely related to sole ownership or sole proprietorship and appears across legal, commercial, and information-management contexts.

In real estate and property law, singleowner means title to the property is held by one owner with no co-owners or joint tenants. This can simplify transfers and decisions but also concentrates liability and tax obligations in one party. In many jurisdictions, the owner can control, encumber, or dispose of the property without requiring consent from others, subject to applicable laws and mortgages.

In business, a sole proprietorship is a typical form of operation for a single-owner enterprise. The owner retains all profits and bears unlimited personal liability for business debts. Formation is generally simple and inexpensive, with taxes reported on the owner's personal return. The structure is easy to dissolve, but it limits capital-raising options and leaves the owner personally exposed to risk.

In information systems, a singleowner model denotes that a single user or account is designated as the owner of a resource. This supports clear accountability and straightforward access control, but may impede collaboration or redundancy in environments that require multiple administrators.

Related concepts include sole ownership, sole proprietor, and various forms of co-ownership such as joint tenancy and tenancy in common.