Doctrine of Waste

A life tenant or other holder of a possessory estate must not commit affirmative waste (active damage), permissive waste (failure to maintain), or ameliorative waste (substantial alterations that change the property's character, even if value-increasing) without the consent of future interest holders.

Related Present Estates & Future Interests rules

• Fee Simple AbsoluteA fee simple absolute is an estate of potentially infinite duration with no conditions or limitations. It is freely…
• Defeasible Fees — OverviewA defeasible fee is a fee simple that may be terminated upon the occurrence of a stated event. The three types are:…
• Fee Simple DeterminableA fee simple determinable automatically terminates and reverts to the grantor upon occurrence of a stated event.…
• Fee Simple Subject to Condition SubsequentA fee simple subject to condition subsequent does not automatically terminate upon breach; the grantor must exercise a…
• Fee Simple Subject to Executory LimitationA fee simple subject to executory limitation automatically terminates upon occurrence of a stated event and passes to…
• Life EstateA life estate is an estate measured by the life of the holder (life tenant) or another person (estate pur autre vie).…
• Remainders — Vested and ContingentA remainder is a future interest in a third party that becomes possessory upon natural expiration of the prior estate.…
• Executory InterestsAn executory interest is a future interest in a third party that cuts short a prior estate rather than following its…

Part of Real Property on Core Legal Rules — foundational MBE-tested principles with primary-source citations.