Easements—nature and characteristics


Published by a ³ÉÈËÓ°Òô Property expert
Practice notes

Easements—nature and characteristics


Published by a ³ÉÈËÓ°Òô Property expert

Practice notes
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Nature of an easement

An easement is an incorporeal right enjoyed by the owner of a legal estate (dominant tenement) over land in the ownership of another person (servient tenement) that binds successors in title.

Easements are usually positive, giving the dominant owner the right to enter or use the servient land in some way (eg a right of way). However, they can be negative preventing something being done on the servient land and so giving the dominant owner the right to receive something from the servient land (eg a right to light).

Easements can be legal or equitable and they can be created by express or implied grant or by statute or arise by prescription or long user. See: Checklist for the creation and registration of easements.

Easements are different from:

  1. •

    natural rights arising by law from the ownership of land (eg a right to continuance of an accustomed flow of water in a natural channel bordering land)

  2. •

    profits à prendre which are the right to take something from the servient land

  3. •

    rights of common which are

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Ownership definition
What does Ownership mean?

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