A homestead or homestead estate generally includes a house, outbuildings, and the adjoining land owned and occupied by a person or family as a primary residence.

Many states—but not all—have laws that protect a person’s homestead from forced sale for the satisfaction (payment) of debts—at least up to a certain amount of the homestead’s value. These laws may be referred to as homestead exemptions or homestead laws and may be located in a state’s constitution or in its statutes.

The homestead exemption exists to provide a secure home for the family against creditors. The exemption is liberally construed to further its purposes. No specific writing is needed to claim a homestead exemption, but instead merely proof of concurrent usage and intent on the part of the owner to claim the land as a homestead.

In some states the constitutional family homestead exemption applies to the entire family, and not to either spouse individually. Therefore, so long as real property is a family homestead due to one spouse's intention and use, that property is protected by the homestead exemption, unless full abandonment has been pleaded and proved. Once a property has been established as a homestead, the property remains exempt unless it ceases to be a homestead due to abandonment, alienation, or death.

Abandonment of a homestead occurs when the homestead claimant ceases to use the property and intends not to use it as a home again. Anyone asserting abandonment of a homestead has the burden of proving it by competent evidence.

In Kansas, the homestead exemption is a legal provision designed to protect the value of a person's home from property taxes, creditors, and circumstances arising from the death of the homeowner's spouse. Under Kansas law, the homestead exemption allows homeowners to exempt up to $30,000 of their home's value for a single individual and $60,000 for a married couple. This exemption applies to the house, outbuildings, and adjoining land used as the primary residence. The intent of the homestead exemption is to provide a secure home for the family against creditors, and it is liberally construed to further its purposes. No specific writing is required to claim a homestead exemption; proof of usage and the owner's intent to claim the land as a homestead is sufficient. The exemption applies to the entire family and not to individual spouses, ensuring that the property remains protected as long as it is intended and used as a family homestead. The property continues to be exempt unless it is abandoned, alienated, or the owner passes away. Abandonment of a homestead is determined by the cessation of use and the intent not to use the property as a home again, and the burden of proving abandonment lies with the person asserting it.