Life Estate

A life estate is an estate measured by the life of the holder (life tenant) or another person (estate pur autre vie). The life tenant is entitled to present possession and may use and enjoy the property but may not commit waste that permanently damages the future interest holders' rights.

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…
• 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…
• Reversion and Possibility of ReverterA reversion is a future interest retained by the grantor when the grantor conveys less than the full estate. A…

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