Where this fits on the exam
| Official syllabus topic | Property Ownership: Estates in Land; Life Estates and Future Interests |
|---|---|
| Official PSI area | Property Ownership |
| Published weight | 10% of the national portion |
| Source edition | PSI Georgia Candidate Information Bulletin dated July 1, 2026 |
The Rule
PSI publishes a weight for the complete official area, not a guaranteed count for this individual comparison. Use the source, document, actor, event, and timing stated in the question before applying a memorized definition.
Side-by-side comparison
Read across each row. The terms are deliberately compared on identical dimensions so the difference remains clear when the exam hides the vocabulary inside a scenario.
| Decision dimension | Life estate | Remainder | Reversion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Timing | Present possessory estate measured by a life | Future interest in a third party | Future interest retained by the grantor |
| Holder | Life tenant | Remainderman | Grantor or grantor's successor |
| Possession | Current | Begins when the life estate ends | Returns when the life estate ends |
| Key duty | Avoid waste and preserve the property | Wait for the preceding estate to end | Wait for the preceding estate to end |
Decision rule
Georgia-specific distinction
Worked example
Scenario. Owner conveys a house to Lee for life, then to Morgan.
Reason it through. Lee receives present possession measured by Lee's life. Morgan is a third party named to take afterward.
Answer. Lee holds a life estate and Morgan holds a remainder.
Common exam traps
- Calling every future interest a remainder
- Ignoring the measuring life
- Assuming the life tenant can convey fee simple
- Forgetting the duty against waste
Original practice questions with detailed explanations
These are original instructional questions mapped to the July 1, 2026 PSI outline. They are not copied from PSI or any live examination. Choose an answer before opening the explanation.
Question 1An owner conveys a farm "to Ana for life" and names no one to take after Ana dies. What interest does the owner keep?
- A. A remainder
- B. A life estate
- C. A reversion
- D. A defeasible fee
Show answer and explanation →
Answer: C. A reversion
A reversion is the future interest the grantor keeps, so the farm returns to the owner or the owner's successors when Ana dies. A remainder exists only when a third party is named to take next. Calling every future interest a remainder is the trap.
- A. Incorrect. A remainder is a future interest given to someone other than the grantor. No third-party taker is named here.
- B. Incorrect. Ana receives the present life estate. The grantor retains a future interest rather than another present life estate.
- C. Correct. The grantor keeps the future interest because no third party is named. The property returns by reversion when Ana's life estate ends.
- D. Incorrect. A defeasible fee concerns a fee subject to a condition. The stated grant is expressly measured by Ana's life.
Question 2Chris conveys a house "to Jordan for the life of Jordan's mother, then to Riley." When does Jordan's interest end?
- A. When Jordan dies
- B. When Jordan's mother dies
- C. When Riley becomes an adult
- D. When Chris dies
Show answer and explanation →
Answer: B. When Jordan's mother dies
A life estate lasts for the measuring life named in the grant, and here that life is Jordan's mother, not Jordan. When she dies, possession passes to Riley as remainderman. Assuming the holder's own life always measures the estate is the error.
- A. Incorrect. Jordan is the holder, but Jordan's mother is the expressly named measuring life. Jordan's death is not the stated endpoint.
- B. Correct. The grant is for the life of Jordan's mother. Her death ends that estate, and Riley then takes possession.
- C. Incorrect. Riley's age is not a condition in the grant. Riley's possession follows the end of the named measuring life.
- D. Incorrect. Chris is the grantor, not the measuring life. The deed's wording identifies Jordan's mother.
Question 3A tenant holds a life estate measured by the tenant's own life. The tenant signs a warranty deed conveying the property to a buyer and claims to own it in fee simple. What does the buyer actually receive?
- A. Fee simple absolute, because a warranty deed was used
- B. Nothing, because a life estate cannot be sold
- C. A remainder that begins when the life tenant dies
- D. The life estate, ending when the life tenant dies
Show answer and explanation →
Answer: D. The life estate, ending when the life tenant dies
A life tenant cannot convey more than the life estate, so the buyer receives possession only until the measuring life ends. A life estate can be sold, but the deed form cannot enlarge it. Believing a warranty deed creates fee simple is the mistake.
- A. Incorrect. A warranty deed cannot convey a greater estate than the grantor holds. Its covenants do not enlarge a life estate into fee simple.
- B. Incorrect. A life estate is transferable, subject to its original measuring life. The buyer can receive that limited present interest.
- C. Incorrect. The life tenant does not hold the future remainder to transfer. The buyer receives the existing life estate.
- D. Correct. The stem expressly measures the life estate by the original tenant's life. A transfer does not change that measuring life, so the buyer's interest ends at the original tenant's death.
Ready to move on?
You have this distinction down when all of these are true.
- Define every compared term without using the other term as the definition.
- Rebuild the comparison table from memory.
- State the decision rule and Georgia distinction without notes.
- Solve the worked example after changing one key fact.
- Explain the rule or fact that makes each distractor wrong.
- Answer all three original questions correctly in mixed practice on a later day.
Recommended next lesson
Continue with Fee Simple Absolute Versus Defeasible Fee. A life estate is measured by a life; Fee Simple Absolute Versus Defeasible Fee covers estates that can last forever and the limiting words, such as "so long as," that can cut one short.
Return to the complete exam-concept library or the Property Ownership hub.