Government powers
Escheat
The state taking property left by an owner who died with no heirs and no will
Escheat exists so land never ends up with no owner at all. When someone dies intestate and no heir can be found, title passes to the state, which is the outcome the whole system of intestate succession is designed to avoid reaching.
How the exam asks about it
One of the four government powers, remembered as PETE: police power, eminent domain, taxation, escheat. Escheat is the one that requires no compensation because there is nobody left to compensate.
Related terms
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