Property II Flashcards
Fair Housing Act
a. Prohibitions
i. Prohibits discrimination based on the following classifications in the sale or rental of a dwelling:
1. Race
2. Ethnicity
3. Religion
4. National origin
5. Sex
6. Familial status
a. Families with minor children
b. Pregnant people
7. National origin
8. Disability
ii. Prohibited conduct includes refusing to:
1. Rent, sell, or negotiate, or
2. Providing different terms, conditions, or privileges based on a protected status
iii. Act also prohibits publishing any advertisement that indicates a preference on prospective tenants or buyers
Exceptions to FHA
ii. FHA applies to most dwellings except:
1. Exemption
a. Owner-occupied apartment with up to four units
b. Single-family residences rented or sold without a real estate broker or salesperson
i. Applies only to general provision
2. Exception
a. Shared living units (i.e., roommates)
i. Applies to both general provision and advertisements
Dwelling (FHA)
Any building, structure, or portion thereof which is occupied as, or designed or intended for occupancy as, a residence by one or more families
Civil Rights Act
a. Generally
i. Prohibits discrimination based on race in the leasing or sale or any type of property; however, it does not cover advertising
ii. Only applies to intentional discrimination
Servitude
a. Servitude
i. Non-possessory interest in land
ii. Enable private agreements among owners that regulate either the way property is used by an owner or access to another owner’s property for a specific purpose
Types of servitudes
i. Easements
1. Express
2. Implied
ii. Covenants
1. Real covenant
2. Equitable servitude
Easements
i. Non-possessory right to use the land of another person
ii. Easement grants less than full possession of the land, instead granting only the right to perform specific acts
iii. Easement may be intended to be permanent or irrevocable for a specified period of time
Express easements
i. Creation
1. Voluntarily created in deed, will, or other written instrument
ii. Types of creation
1. Grant
a. Conveys easement to another person
2. Reservation
a. Reserves easement in land when transferring land to another person
iii. Statute of Frauds
1. In writing
2. Signed
Implied easements
- Without agreement
a. Easement implied by prior existing use
b. Easement by necessity
c. Prescriptive easement
d. Easement by estoppel (or irrevocable license)
Affirmative easements
Allows holder of easement to perform act on land
Negative easements
Express easement that entitles the dominant owner to prevent the servient owner from performing an act on servient land
Conservation easements
- Most common negative easements
- Express easement that restricts the development and use of the servient land in order to preserve open space, farmland, historical sites, or wild and undeveloped land
Easement appurtenant
- Benefits the dominant land
- Attached to the land, not the person
Easement in gross
- Not attached to the land
- Benefits the easement holder in personal capacity
- Includes commercial uses
Easement implied by prior existing use
- Claimants must show:
a. (1) Severance of title to land held in common ownership
i. Common ownership - When one person held title to the entire land that was severed and transferred part of it to another person
b. (2) Existing, apparent, and continuous use when severance occurs; and
i. Existing - Owner use of one parcel to benefit the other parcel
ii. Apparent - Use was visible or discoverable through reasonable inspection, even if not readily visible
iii. Continuous - Parties likely expected the use to continue
c. (3) Reasonable necessity for the use at time of severance
i. Reasonable - Use was reasonably convenient to the dominant land
ii. Note: Timing is key - Elements must be satisfied at the time of severance
Easement by necessity
- Claimants must show:
a. (1) Severance of title to land held in common ownership
b. (2) Strict necessity for the easement at the time of severance
i. Traditional rule - Strict necessity requires the parcel to be landlocked with no other access to public roads or utilities
Prescriptive easement
- Claimants must show:
a. (1) Actual use
i. Use was as a true holder would use the easement - True holder
a. How do people use X in this community
b. (2) Open and notorious use
i. Use was visible and obvious such that a reasonable owner would be aware of the adverse use
c. (3) Adverse use
i. Use was without permission from owner of servient estate
d. (4) Continuous use
i. Use was continuous as a true holder would continuously use the easement
e. (5) Statutory period
i. Elements were satisfied for the statutory period
ii. Analyze even if not given statutory period
iii. Upper end of statutory period is 20 years
Easement by estoppel (irrevocable license)
- Claimants must show:
a. (1) License (temporary permission, revocable at any time), typically for access purposes
b. (2) Licensee’s good faith reliance through the expenditure of substantial money or labor
c. (3) Licensor’s knowledge or reasonable expectation that reliance will occur
Scope of easement
i. Intent
1. Scope of an easement depends on the intent of the original parties
ii. Reasonably necessary
1. In general, the scope of an easement permits an easement holder to do anything that is reasonably necessary for the full enjoyment of the easement, unless evidence provides otherwise
iii. Change in manner, frequency, or intensity
1. In general, easement holder may increase the manner, frequency, or intensity of an easement’s use so long as that increase does not unreasonably damage or interfere with the use or enjoyment of the servient estate
a. Change must unreasonably interfere such that the servient landowner is unable to use servient estate
b. Interference must be explicit and more than just “inconvenient”
Specific scenarios related to scope of easements
- Prescriptive easements
- Technological change
- Subdivision of dominant land
- Third party beneficiaries
Transferring express easements appurtenant
i. Servient land transferred
1. Notice required
a. Actual notice
i. Knowledge of prior interest in the real property
b. Record notice
i. Recorded in county records (even if party does not search for it)
c. Inquiry notice
i. Visible/apparent, so purchaser should have asked
ii. Everyone who buys land is expected to inspect the land physically and to review public records
ii. Dominant land transferred
1. Automatically runs with the land
Transferring express easements in gross
a. Commercial
1. 1. Transferred freely
2. Unless circumstances show that the parties “should not reasonably have expected” this result
b. Non-commercial
i. Not transferable unless the express easement provides otherwise
Transferring implied easements
Implied easements run with the land, unless terminated
Termination of easements
i. Terms of easement
1. Parties can include an express limitation on the easement, such as expiration date, term of years, or a condition
ii. Abandonment
1. Abandonment depends on the easement holder’s intent
2. Abandonment of an easement is established if:
a. Holder stops using the easement for a long period (for example, >50 years) and
b. Takes other actions that clearly show intent to relinquish the easement
iii. Merger
1. If one person obtains title to both the easement and the servient land, the easement terminates under the doctrine of merger
2. Easement cannot be terminated by merger if there are any future interests in the dominant or servient estate
3. Instead, use of the easement is suspended until future interest holder becomes entitled to possession
iv. Prescription
1. Servient landowner may terminate an easement by prescription based on the same elements of easement by prescription, except the servient owner must substantially interfere with the holder’s use of the easement
v. Estoppel
1. Easement ends if the servient owner substantially changes his position in reasonable reliance on the holder’s statement that the easement will not be used in the future
a. Substantial change in position
i. Money or labor
vi. Release
1. Easement holder may release the easement to the servient owner by executing and delivering a writing that complies with the statute of frauds