Explanatory Notes

Abolition of Feudal Tenure etc. (Scotland) Act 2000

2000 asp 5

14 July 2000

Explanatory Notes

Commentary on Sections

Part 6: Miscellaneous
Section 65:  Creation of proper liferent

205.A liferent may be created either by reservation or by grant. An owner of land may either grant a right of liferent to a second party (i.e. the right to occupy and use the property during the second party's lifetime), or convey the land to a second party while reserving in the conveyance a right of liferent to the original owner. Section 65 restates, in non-feudal language, the established rules for the creation of the real right of proper liferent. It does not affect trust liferents ("improper liferents").

206.Subsection (1) provides that a proper liferent is created on registration in the appropriate property register (or on such later date as the deed may provide).

207.Subsection (2) follows section 3(2) of the Land Registration (Scotland) Act 1979 in saving any special rule of the common law or statute. As with section 4, this would accommodate cases involving survivorship destinations. The most important in practice is the rule that where land is conveyed to A and B and the survivor, ownership of A's pro indiviso share passes automatically to B in the event that A predeceases B without evacuating the destination.