Property Law Vocabulary

verb to belong or relate to something

• The regulations appertain to all employees within the organization.
• These rules appertain to everyone here, so make sure to follow them.
• That dress code only appertains to the new hires.
• The responsibilities of being a leader appertain to making tough decisions.

noun a person who holds a deed, typically to a piece of property

• The deedholder of the property has full ownership rights.
• The deedholder is the one who officially owns the house.
• Yo, did you hear that Mike's the deedholder now?
• As the deedholder of this project, you have the final say in all decisions.

noun a right to use someone else's property for a specific purpose

verb None

adjective None

adverb None

pronoun None

preposition None

conjunction None

interjection None

article None

• The property owner granted an easement to allow access to the neighboring land.
• The neighbor has an easement to use our driveway whenever they need to.
• I have an easement to cut through my neighbor's yard to get to the park faster.
• Forgiveness is like an easement in a relationship, allowing room for mistakes.

noun an intrusion or trespassing on someone else's property or rights

• The government is taking measures to prevent any further encroachment on protected lands.
• Hey, did you see the new fence they put up to stop the encroachment on the park?
• The neighbors are encroaching on our property line, we need to do something about it.
• His constant interruptions during the meeting were seen as an encroachment on the speaker's time.

verb to take away or confiscate (property) from its owner, typically for public use or benefit

• The government has the power to expropriate private property for public use.
• The city council might expropriate that old building for a new park.
• They can't just expropriate my stuff like that!
• The artist was able to expropriate elements from different styles to create a unique masterpiece.

noun a property interest in which a person has a lease or rental agreement on a piece of land or a building

adjective relating to or characteristic of a leasehold

• The leasehold agreement clearly outlines the responsibilities of both the tenant and the landlord.
• I'm looking to buy a leasehold property in the city.
• I heard they're trying to sell that leasehold apartment for a good price.
• His leasehold on the property gave him a sense of security in an uncertain market.

noun a legal procedure to recover goods unlawfully taken

verb to recover goods through a legal procedure

• The plaintiff filed a replevin action to recover the wrongfully taken property.
• The owner had to go through a replevin process to get their stuff back.
• They had to go through a whole replevin thing to get their things back.
• In a way, going through replevin felt like reclaiming a piece of their identity.

adjective capable of being reverted or returned to a previous state or condition

• The decision to invest in the project is not revertible once the funds have been allocated.
• Once you hit send on that email, it's not revertible, so make sure it's what you want to say.
• Dude, that haircut is totally revertible if you don't like it.
• The damage caused by his actions was irreversible, not revertible in any way.

noun a person's legitimate right or claim to something

adjective denoting something that is rightfully owned or possessed; proper or appropriate

• The rightful owner of the property has been identified and will be returning soon.
• I believe that money is rightfully mine, so I'm going to ask for it back.
• She knew she was the rightful queen bee of the group.
• The artist felt a sense of fulfillment when his painting found its rightful place in the museum.

noun A person whose job is to examine and record the details of a piece of land, usually for the purpose of creating a map or determining property boundaries

• The surveyor carefully measured the land to create an accurate map.
• The surveyor dude was out there with his measuring tape, doing his thing.
• The surveyor was on site, checking out the lay of the land.
• As a surveyor of human behavior, she was skilled at reading people's emotions.

noun the period during which someone holds an office or position

• The professor was granted tenure after years of dedication to research and teaching.
• My aunt finally got tenure at her job, so now she can't be fired.
• I heard that dude got tenure at the company, he's set for life now.
• Her tenure as the leader of the group came to an end after the scandal.

noun a wrongful act, especially a crime

verb to enter someone's land or property without permission

• Trespassing on private property is a violation of the law.
• Hey, let's not trespass on their land, okay?
• Dude, don't be a trespasser and sneak onto their property.
• His intrusive questions felt like a trespass on her personal space.

noun a word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea. In this phrase, 'possession' and 'law' are nouns.

verb a word that expresses an action, occurrence, or state of being. In this phrase, 'is' is a verb.

adjective a word that describes or modifies a noun. In this phrase, 'nine-tenths' is an adjective.

preposition a word that shows the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and other words in a sentence. In this phrase, 'of' is a preposition.

article a word that is used to specify a noun. In this phrase, 'the' is an article.

• In legal terms, possession is nine-tenths of the law, meaning that whoever physically holds a property has a stronger claim to it.
• Basically, possession is nine-tenths of the law, so if you have something in your hands, it's yours.
• Dude, possession is like, nine-tenths of the law, so if you got it, you keep it.
• In life, it often feels like possession is nine-tenths of the law, as those who have control or ownership tend to have the most power.

verb to abruptly cancel or postpone a planned event or arrangement, often at the last minute

• The practice of gazanging can lead to delays in property transactions.
• I heard they're gazanging the sale of that house, so it might take longer than expected.
• Don't worry about gazanging the deal, we'll make sure everything goes smoothly.
• Gazanging relationships can be detrimental to one's emotional well-being.

noun a brief summary or outline of the ownership history of a piece of real property, including transfers, liens, and encumbrances

• The lawyer reviewed the abstract of title to ensure all property rights were properly documented.
• I had to look over the abstract of title before finalizing the property purchase.
• I skimmed through the abstract of title to make sure everything was legit.
• The abstract of title is like a roadmap to the history of the property.