The Real Estate Encyclopedia & Blog

Pledge

by | Feb 6, 2026

In real estate and finance law, a pledge is the delivery of personal property by a debtor to a creditor as security for a debt. The pledged property serves as collateral to ensure repayment of the obligation.

If the debtor defaults, the creditor has the right to retain or dispose of the pledged property in accordance with the law to satisfy the debt. A pledge differs from a mortgage in that it involves personal property rather than real property.