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The Daily Insight

Can you sell a house that is in a life estate

Author

Mia Walsh

Published Apr 20, 2026

Can Someone With a Life Estate Sell the Property? A life tenant cannot sell the property or take out a mortgage loan against it without the agreement of the remainderman. The reverse is also true: The remainderman cannot sell or mortgage the property during the lifetime of the life tenant.

What voids a life estate?

The life tenant may terminate the life estate while the said person is still living by forming and entering another deed to the same estate that precisely ends the deed. A deed ending a life estate has typically the remainderman named on the first life estate deed as the beneficiary of the mentioned estate.

How do you revoke a life estate?

To dissolve a life estate, the life tenant can give their ownership interest to the remainderman. So, if a mother has a life estate and her son has the remainder, she can convey her interest to him, and he will then own the entire interest in the property.

Can the Remainderman of a life estate sell the property?

Sale of the Property A remainderman may sell his interest in the property, but the buyer would take the property subject to the rights of life tenant. … If the life tenant and the remainderman both agree and sign transfer documents, the property can be sold before the life tenant dies.

Can you leave a life estate in a will?

A life estate helps avoid the probate process upon the life tenant’s death. The property will automatically transfer to the remainderman, making the process simple and easy – a will isn’t needed for the transfer to happen.

What happens when you sell a life estate?

Life Tenant Is Alive: When the property is sold before the life tenant dies, then there is no “step-up” in basis and capital gains are paid based on the original purchase price of the property with adjustments for improvements, etc. that haven’t been deducted.