Legal Definitions - quasi-personalty

In legal terms, quasi-personalty refers to items that are physically attached to real estate—like land or buildings—but are legally considered to be personal property. This means that despite their fixed nature, the law treats them as if they were movable belongings, rather than an integral part of the land or structure itself.

Here are a few examples to illustrate this concept:

• Trade Fixtures: Imagine a tenant who leases a commercial space to open a bakery. They install a large, custom-built oven and specialized mixing equipment, bolting them to the floor and connecting them to the building's utilities. While these items are physically fixed to the property, the law often classifies them as "trade fixtures."

  How it illustrates quasi-personalty: Even though the oven and mixer are attached to the building, they are considered the personal property of the tenant. The tenant typically has the right to remove them when their lease ends, provided they don't cause significant damage to the property, because these items were installed for the purpose of their business and are not considered a permanent part of the real estate.

• Annual Crops (Fructus Industriales): Consider a farmer who plants and cultivates a field of soybeans. These crops are growing directly from the soil and are physically part of the land until harvested.

  How it illustrates quasi-personalty: Despite being rooted in the ground, annually cultivated crops like soybeans, corn, or wheat are legally treated as personal property. If the farmer sells their harvest to a distributor, they are selling personal property, even before the crops are picked. This distinguishes them from natural growth like trees or perennial shrubs, which are generally considered part of the real estate.