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 Vermont, the homestead exemption is designed to protect a portion of a person's home and adjoining land from being forcibly sold to satisfy debts, ensuring that individuals have a secure place to live. Vermont's homestead exemption is codified in 27 V.S.A. § 101 and following sections. As of the knowledge cutoff in 2023, the exemption amount is up to $125,000 of the property's value. This means that equity in a home up to that amount may be protected from creditors in the event of bankruptcy or other debt collection actions, with certain exceptions such as for debts secured by the homestead, certain taxes, and family support obligations. The exemption applies to the primary residence of the debtor and does not require any specific documentation to claim; rather, the owner must demonstrate the intent and actual use of the property as their primary residence. In the case of married couples, the homestead exemption generally protects the property as long as it is intended and used as the family homestead by at least one spouse. The property remains exempt unless there is evidence of abandonment, alienation, or death. If abandonment is claimed, the burden of proof lies with the party asserting it.