Topic 4 Flashcards
Ownership of Real Property
Rights that apply to land adjacent to running water. Allow an owner to use and enjoy, within reasonable limits, the water that borders or runs through his property (fish, swim, build a pier/boat house, divert water for irrigation). Only apply when more than one property adjoins the same body of water.
riparian rights
Accessible to commercial boat traffic, are publicly owned. Can’t become private property of anyone. Ownership stops at water’s edge. Same usage rights as public.
navigable waters
Ownership doesn’t stop at water’s edge. Owner will often hold title to the waterway up to it’s midpoint, or from bank to bank if the waterway runs through the owner’s property.
non-navigable waters
A body of water completely enclosed by a single property (pond or small lake) is considered…
A natural part of that property
In states where water’s scarce, the ownership and use of the water’s often determined by the ________.
Right to use water’s controlled by the state.
doctrine of prior appropriation
Apply to ocean front property or property on some large lakes. Ownership usually extends to the point of high tide. Owners may not stop or alter the free movement of the water or infringe upon public rights of use.
littoral rights
Include underground water resources (springs, geysers, and streams). An owner may tap such waters by drilling a well (for ex.) and may use them for his owner purposes.
percolating waters
In states where water’s scarce, ownership and use of water are often determined by this doctrine. States that the right to use any water, with the exception of limited domestic use, is controlled by the state rather than by the landowner adjacent to the water.
doctrine of prior appropriation
The state or condition of holding legal claim or title to something.
ownership
The indefinite “something” to which claim or title is held
property
Real property consists of…
- Land, including everything above and below it.
- Improvements
- Plants, tress, and crops
*Each of these aren’t necessarily present in all real property
The surface of the earth, soil, anything permanently attached to the earth’s suface (trees and water), air space above, and substances below.
land
*Includes both corporeal (tangible) and incorporeal (intangible) things
Physical characteristics of land…
Permanence
Immobility
Complexity
Uniqueness
Categories of real property…
Residential Commercial Agricultural Special purpose Industrial
Economic characteristics of land…
scarcity (dependent upon human demand and uses of the land)
modification (affect property and surrounding properties)
fixity of investment (improvements on the land represents capital invested)
situs (location as a determinant of the land’s economic value)
Positive situs factors…
Safety Low traffic volume Accessibility Schools Stores
An owner’s right to things below the surface of his property
mineral rights
___ years is max time you may retain mineral rights in LA if there has been no activity
10
Rights that attach to the space above the surface of an owner’s property.
Protect owner against unreasonable obstruction of his property from above.
Can’t, in most cases, prevent planes from flying over one’s property.
air rights
Any permanent, man made attachments or additions to the land. Immovable. Can be owned by someone other than the owner of the land.
improvements
factories, houses, offices, libraries, schools, driveways, fences, sidewalks, etc
In LA, improvements which aren’t owned by the owner of the land are known as…
Separate immovable or movables
An item of personal property which has been permanently attached to real property such that it is considered a part of the real property.
Fixture
In LA, the term for a fixture…
Component by attachment
Commonly used for deciding disagreements over fixture status…
- Agreement between parties
- Method of attachment
- Intention of the party doing the attaching
- Adaptability of the attached object to the property
If the buyer and seller agree on the status of any object, no other factors need to be taken into account. Supersedes all other considerations as to what does or doesn’t constitute a fixture. To be binding, must be written into the contract of sale.
Agreement between parties
The more permanently an item is attached to the property, the more likely it will be considered a fixture. Objects whose removal would cause structural damage (cement, water pipes, etc) must be considered a fixture.
Method of attachment
Did the owner intend to make the object a permanent addition to his property (split rail fence), or did he regard its installation as only temporary (oil painting)?
Intention of the party doing the attaching
Things which by their nature have been designed to suit one property will usually be considered fixtures. (Window screens)
Adaptability of the attached object
A tree is considered real property until it is cut down by the owner, at which time it becomes personal property
severance
The owner buys a plant at a nursery it is personal property until such time as it is planted on the property.
annexation
Exception to the rule. Things attached to real property for the purpose of carrying on a business. Considered personal rather than real property. Business owner is generally held responsible for any damages to the property resulting from their removal.
Trade fixtures
barber chairs, dentist chairs, bowling lanes, etc.
Naturally growing things on the land that don’t need annual cultivation. Considered real property
Fructus Naturales
Fruits of nature
Essentially farm crops, things that are grown and harvested every year. Considered personal property. If land is sold during the growing season, and before harvest time, the unharvested crops may be considered as real property.
Fructus Industriales or emblements
Fruits of industry
In LA, the crop will be considered either…
a movable or immovable
The area of land granted by the king or lord was known as a fief or feud, hence the name…
Feudal System
Every parcel, has a title which legally confers ownership. Whoever holds title to the land, owns the land itself, and this is the system we use today.
Allodial System
The rights of the real property owner can be represented as a bound together collection of sticks known as the…
“Bundle of Rights”
Each stick in the bundle of rights represents a specific right…
Right to build, sell, lease, mine for minerals, plant and harvest crops, etc.
Rights in the bundle are both…
separable and divisible
Can be separated or divided among several owners