Legal Definitions - servient tenement

Definition: A servient tenement is a piece of land that is subject to an easement, which benefits another piece of land. An easement is a right or privilege that the owner of one piece of land (called the dominant estate) has over another piece of land (called the servient tenement). The owner of the servient tenement is obligated not to interfere with that right or privilege.

For example, if a person owns a piece of land that is surrounded by other properties, they may need to cross one of those properties to access their own. In this case, the property they need to cross is the servient tenement, and the right to cross it is the easement.

Another example of a servient tenement is a property that has a utility easement. This means that the utility company has the right to access the property to maintain or repair their equipment, even though they do not own the property.

These examples illustrate how a servient tenement is a piece of land that is subject to an easement, which benefits another piece of land. The owner of the servient tenement must allow the owner of the dominant estate to exercise their right or privilege without interference.