Legal Definitions - ratihabitio

RATIHABITIO

Ratihabitio (rat-uh-huh-bish-ee-oh) is a legal term that refers to the act of approving or ratifying a transaction by a principal of an agent. It comes from the Latin phrase "ratum habere," which means "to hold ratified." This term is commonly used in civil law.

• When a real estate agent sells a property on behalf of a homeowner, the homeowner must give ratihabitio to the transaction in order for it to be legally binding.
• A company may give ratihabitio to a contract signed by their employee, making the contract valid and enforceable.

These examples illustrate how ratihabitio is used in legal situations where a principal (such as a homeowner or a company) must approve or ratify a transaction that was carried out by an agent (such as a real estate agent or an employee). Without ratihabitio, the transaction may not be legally binding.