In real estate law, a tenant for life is a person who holds an estate in real property for the duration of a specified individual’s life. The measuring life may be the tenant’s own life or the life of another person.
When the designated life ends, the estate terminates and the property either reverts to the original grantor or passes to a third party with a remainder interest. A life tenant has the right to use and enjoy the property during the lifetime of the estate but cannot transfer ownership beyond that period.
