Simple English definitions for legal terms
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A common occupant is someone who has the right to live in or control a certain property or place. They may have acquired this right by being the first person to occupy the land or property after someone else has died. A general occupant is a type of common occupant who occupies land after the death of a pur autre vie tenant but before the death of the person who serves as the measuring life for the estate. A special occupant is someone who is specifically named in a legal document as being entitled to live in a property or place for a certain period of time, such as the heir of a pur autre vie tenant who occupies land after the tenant's death but before the measuring life's death.
Definition: A common occupant is a person who has possessory rights or control over a property or premises. They may also acquire title by occupancy.
Example: After the death of a pur autre vie tenant, but before the death of the person who serves as the measuring life for the estate, the land can be occupied by the first possessor of the land. This person is known as a general occupant or common occupant.
This means that if someone dies and leaves behind a property without specifying who can occupy it, the first person who takes possession of the property becomes the common occupant. They have the right to control the property and use it as they see fit.