Servient Estate
Definition of "Servient estate"
As the term “servient” comes from the root word “serve” and to serve means to perform a duty or a service for another entity, its meaning is easy to define. The term servient estate refers to an estate or property that is subject to being used for the benefit of another property. These benefits can come in the form of easements, rights of way, or rights of access. These rights are granted by law and are passed through purchasing contracts.
How does a Servient Estate work?
Upon purchasing a property, the contract can specify that there is an easement across the lot. This means that another property owner has the legal right to use part of the property to access their property. In this case, the property that grants access is the servient estate, while the property being granted access is the dominant estate.
When an easement is specified and granted in a contract, it gives the easement owner a nonpossessory interest in another property. The easement owner is the owner of the dominant estate, while the one required to allow the easement is the owner of the servient estate. There are different types of easements, from those that would enable the use of someone else’s land to those that limit the servient estate owners from blocking access to view or sunlight. Important to note that the servient estate owner can use the land or property in any way they want as long as they don’t limit the dominant estate owner’s easement on that land.
When purchasing a property, it is essential to know if it is a servient estate. For this, one should check for easements because if there is a dominant estate with only one access to the beach, which is by the servient house, it can impact the property’s price. Usually, suppose there is an easement on the property that makes it a servient estate. In that case, the price should be lowered because it may limit the owner’s privacy and give the dominant estate owner nonpossessory interest in the servient estate.
Popular Real Estate Terms
New cost less accumulated depreciation to date. ...
Divider made of plasterboard or plaster used to partition rooms. A room is created by the walls surrounding it. ...
Lawsuit brought by one or more persons of a large group for the benefit of all members of the group. ...
A proposal to buy property at a specified price. The seller of the property has the options of accepting the offer, rejecting it, or making a counteroffer. For example, John signs a listing ...
Short-term loan that is made to bridge the term between the end of one loan and the beginning of another. ...
Individual who will receive an inheritance upon the death of another. The proceeds of an insurance policy may be in a lump sum annuity. Real estate also passes to the beneficiary. ...
Representation on a flat surface of any region that depicts the elevation of that region. ...
Outside of a structure covering a lower quality or cheaper surface to make the structure look better. Examples of veneer exteriors are bricks covering concrete, or a thin surface layer of ...
Siding made out of aluminum, plastic derivates, or cement asbestos having ridges and valleys which is attached to the sides of buildings. ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.