Legal Definitions - remainderman

Remainderman

A remainderman is a person who will inherit property in the future after a preceding estate, usually a life estate, has ended. The remainderman is a third party who is not the creator of the estate, the initial holder, or their heirs. For example, if a property is granted "to John for life, and then to Jane," John has a life estate, and Jane is the remainderman.

Example 1: John owns a house and grants a life estate to his sister, Mary. After Mary passes away, the house will go to John's son, Tom. In this case, Tom is the remainderman.

Example 2: Sarah owns a piece of land and grants a life estate to her husband, David. After David passes away, the land will go to Sarah's daughter, Emily. In this case, Emily is the remainderman.

Both examples illustrate the definition of a remainderman. In each case, there is a preceding estate (Mary's life estate and David's life estate), and after that estate ends, the property will go to a third party (Tom and Emily) who is not the creator of the estate, the initial holder, or their heirs.