encumbrancenoun [ C or U ]
uk/ɪnˈkʌmbrəns/usLAW, PROPERTY a mortgage or other charge on a property, or the fact of a property having a mortgage, etc.:
An encumbrance is a legal claim on a property that affects the owner's ability to transfer the ownership of the property.
something that makes it difficult to do things:
He had paid off his loans and was free of the encumbrance of debt.