Which notice is based on direct knowledge of a property, not just what is found in public records?

• A. Constructive notice
• B. Actual notice
• C. Verification
• D. Affidavit

Answer: (B)

In property law, the key distinction is between actual notice and constructive notice. Actual notice happens when someone has direct, firsthand knowledge about a property—for example, being told by the seller about an encumbrance or personally observing a defect or occupancy on the property. This is knowledge you actually possess, not something you infer from records.

This is the best answer here because it captures the idea of direct knowledge, rather than information that exists in public records. Constructive notice, by contrast, is the legal assumption that you should have known about certain facts because they are discoverable through public records or proper inquiry; you’re charged with knowledge of what public filings reveal, even if you didn’t learn of it directly. Verification and affidavits aren’t types of notice about a property’s condition or ownership in the same sense: verification is about confirming facts, and an affidavit is a sworn statement used as evidence, not a notice doctrine.