property law

vest

A right or an interest in property "vests" when it is secured. This means that the beneficiary of the right or property interest is certain to receive a specific amount, either now or in the future.

vested

Having an absolute right or title to something, to be enjoyed either now or in the future. A vested right is unconditional; it is no longer dependent on any event even if it was in the past.

See Contingent (contrast).

view ordinance

View ordinance are laws designed to protect a property's view from obstructions. Such ordinances may encompass and regulate a variety of property features, but commonly address trees and vegetation. View ordinances can also be enforced to...

Village of Euclid v. Ambler Realty (1926)

Village of Euclid v. Ambler Realty Co., 272 U.S. 365 (1926), is a U.S. Supreme Court case in which the court held that a zoning ordinance can be a valid exercise of a state's police powers. The Supreme Court raised the bar for declaring a...

void for vagueness

1) In criminal law, a declaration that a law is invalid because it is not sufficiently clear. Laws are usually found void for vagueness if, after setting some requirement or punishment, the law does not specify what is required or what conduct is...

voluntary waste

Voluntary waste, also referred to as affirmative waste, refers to overt and willful acts of destruction performed by a tenant or life tenant that lead to the drop in value of a piece of property by harming the property or depleting natural...

will

A will is a legal document that states a testator’s wishes and instructions for managing and distributing their estate after death. In contrast, intestate succession is passing the property of the decedent according to the State’s intestacy...

work made for hire

When a work is deemed to be "made for hire," the employer (and not necessarily the employee-creator of the work) is deemed to be the author and therefore owns all rights associated with the work under copyright law.

The...

Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer (1952)

Youngstown Sheet & Tube v. Sawyer, 342 U.S. 579 (1952) was a case in which the U.S. Supreme Court had to decide on the applicability of the President's national security powers on seizing private property. President Truman had ordered the...

zoning

Zoning is a legislative act dividing a jurisdiction's land into sections and regulating different land uses in each section in accordance with a zoning ordinance.

Flexibility in Zoning:

A number of devices allow governing boards to include...

Pages