Legal Definitions - servitus

Servitus is a Latin word that means slavery or bondage. In Roman law, it also refers to a type of servitude, which is a right or burden attached to a piece of land or a building. There are different types of servitudes, such as rural servitude and urban servitude.

• A servitus actus is a rural servitude that allows someone to walk, ride, or drive animals over another person's property. This means that if you own a farm and need to move your cattle to a different area, you can use a path that goes through your neighbor's land.
• A servitus oneris ferendi is an urban servitude that allows a building to rest on a neighbor's building, wall, or pillar. This means that if you want to build a new floor on your house, you can use your neighbor's wall as a support.
• A servitus luminum is an urban servitude that allows someone to receive light from a neighbor's land. This means that if your house is next to a tall building that blocks the sunlight, you can build windows in a common wall to let the light in.