Property – Whitton
I. Acquisition of Property. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
A. Law of Finders. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
B. Bailment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
C. Adverse Possession . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
D. Gift. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
II. Possessory Estates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
A. Fee Simple. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
B. Fee Tail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
C. Life Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
D. Defeasible Estates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
III. Future Interests. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
IV. Rule Against Perpetuities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
V. Co-Ownership. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
A. Types of Ownership. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
B. Severance of Joint Tenancies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
C. Joint Tenancy Bank Accounts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
D. Relations Among Concurrent Owners. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
VI. Leasehold Estates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
A. Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
B. The Lease. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
C. Delivery of Possession. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
D. Subleases and Assignments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
E. Tenant Default & Landlord’s Remedies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
F. Landlord’s Duties / Tenant’s Rights & Remedies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
G. Tenant’s Duties / Landlord’s Rights & Remedies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
VII. The Land Transaction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
A. Contract of Sale. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
B. The Deed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
C. The Mortgage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
VIII. Title Assurance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
A. The Recording System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
B. Recording Acts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
IX. Servitudes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
A. Easements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
B. Creation of Easements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
C. Scope of Easements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
D. Termination of Easements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
E. Covenants. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
F. Termination of Covenants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
G. Common Interest Communities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
X. Zoning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
I. Acquisition of Property
A. Law of Finders
1. The title of the finder is good as against the whole world except as to the true owner or
a prior possessor. (Armory v. Delamirie)
Reasons:
a. Want to keep the property closer in the chain of title to the true owner
b. Want to encourage finders and so we protect them
2. Two wrongdoers: One who has acquired the possession of property, whether by
finding, bailment, or by mere tort, has a right to retain that possession as against a mere
wrongdoer who is a stranger to the property. (Anderson v. Gouldberg)
3. The possession of land carries with it in general possession of everything which is
attached to or under that land, and, in the absence of a better title elsewhere, the right to
possess it also; and it makes no difference that the possessor is not aware of the thing’s
existence. (Hannah v. Peel)
4. Treasure Trove: Treated as if it’s abandoned property (finder gets to keep)
5. Exceptions to the Law of Finders:
a. Lost v. Mislaid
i. Mislaid = voluntarily placed
ii. Standard for determining lost v. mislaid is “reasonable person”
iii. Owner of
c. Doctrine of estoppel – when one neighbor makes representations about the
location of a common boundary and the other neighbor then changes her
position in reliance on the representations
7. If there exists privity btn successive adverse possessors, can tack on time to satisfy
SOL. (Howard v. Kunto)
a. Privity depends on relationship and intent of parties (familial or economic).
b. There must be a continuity of interest.
8. Common Law: Buildings or fixtures erected w/o right, whether in good faith or not,
became the property of the landowner.
Modern trend: Compensation for improvements or permission to remove.
9. Common Law: Adverse possession didn’t run against the gov’t.
Some states have allowed adverse possession to run against the gov’t.
D. Gift
1. Requirements:
a. Donative Intent (intent to give up dominion and control over something; intent
to give a present gift)
b. Delivery
i. When capable of manual delivery, actual manual delivery is required
ii. Constructive delivery = handing over a key or some object that will
open up access to subject matter of the gift
iii. Symbolic delivery = deed of gift
c. Acceptance (courts may presume)
2. Types:
a. Inter vivos: gift during one’s life; irrevocable and unconditional
b. Causa mortis: gift made when in fear of immediate impending death by
disaster or peril; revocable and conditional
i. If donee is already in possession, redelivery is required (prevent fraud).
ii. Gift is revoked by recovery.
c. Testamentary: e.g. a will; takes effect only when the testator dies
3. Newman v. Bost
– gift causa mortis (higher scrutiny)
– locked bureau containing life insurance policy
– gave donee the keys to the bureau ® constructive delivery
– the insurance policy could have been delivered manually
– courts look at intent
4. Owner can gift remainder interest (future interest) and retain a present interest in the life
estate. (Gruen v. Gruen)
