Legal Definitions - tanquam dominus

TANQUAM DOMINUS

tanquam dominus (tan-kwam dom-ə-nəs). [Law Latin] Hist. As owner.

Tanquam dominus is a Latin term used in legal contexts to refer to someone who has the rights and privileges of an owner. This means that they have control over something as if they were the owner, even if they are not technically the legal owner.

• A tenant who has been given permission to make changes to a rental property may be considered tanquam dominus over those changes, even though the landlord is the legal owner of the property.
• A person who has been entrusted with the care of someone else's property may be considered tanquam dominus over that property, with the responsibility to take care of it as if it were their own.

In both examples, the person in question has been given a certain level of control over a property or item, even though they are not the legal owner. This control is similar to what an owner would have, which is why they are considered tanquam dominus.