LEGAL ENGLISH 3: VOCABULARY LIST
Term Definition Example sentence
Unit 1: real property law
Residential Immovable property designated primarily for This street is a residential living area
habitation
Woongebied/
residentieel Single-family houses, apartments, and condominiums
Commercial Real estate used for business activities involving Offices and shops are commercial
commercial transactions property buildings.
Retail shops, office buildings, and hotels
Agricultural Land and buildings primarily used for cultivating crops, Farmers work on agricultural land fo
raising livestock, or other recognized farming activities crops.
Landbouw
Fields, farmhouses, barns, and stables
Industrial Real estate designed and licensed for industrial The factory is in an industrial zone.
production, storage, logistics, or manufacturing
processes
Factories, warehouses, and plants
Public Property owned by a public legal entity, such as the The library is a public free building.
state, a region, or municipality, for public use or
administration
Roads, parks, schools, public buildings
Real property Land and anything permanently attached (buildings, The farm is his legal real property.
trees, fixtures)
Onroerend
goed A house, plot of farmland
is eigenlijk the real estate, maar plus die bundle of
rights die erbij komt kijken
Personal Moveable possessions not attached to land (chattels, My phone counts as personal prope
property movable assets) today.
Roerend goed A car, a laptop
,Fixture An item previously personal property that is attached The bathtub is a permanent house
and becomes real property fixture.
Vast
onderdeel Built-in oven, central heating
Annexation The process of attaching personal property to land so Annexation makes solar panels real
it becomes real property property.
Toevoeging
Installing solar panels on roof
Severance The act of removing a fixture, turning it back into Severance turned the fixture into
personal property personal property.
Afzonderlijk
Removing a garden shed
Land Includes not only the face of the earth but everything Land includes oil and minerals below
of a permanent nature over or under it, including ground.
Grond minerals, oil, and gases.
Premises The land itself or the land with all structures attached. Smoking is forbidden on school
Residential buildings and yards are commonly referred premises area.
Terrein to as premises.
Statutory Created or regulated by statutes Paying rent is a statutory tenant
obligation.
Wettelijk
Habitation The act of living in or occupying a place The cottage is ready for human
habitation
Huisvesting
The foregoing What has been stated before The foregoing rules explain the cont
clearly.
Het
voorgaande
Willful or Something done knowingly or carelessly He broke window by negligent carel
negligent act act.
Opzettelijke of
nalatige
handeling
Subletting When a tenant leased property to a third party Subletting the apartment requires
landlord’s written permission.
Onderverhure
n
Grant of Giving one’s permission to something The landlord gave grant of consent.
consent
, Toestemming
geven
Abandonment Leaving and no longer using a property The house shows clear signs of
abandonment.
Verlaten/
afstand doen
Mitigate Minimizing any loss due to breach They mitigate damages after heavy
damages storm.
Schade
beperken
Mutual Agreement of both parties Divorce was agreed by mutual conse
consent
Wederzijdse
toestemming
Arbitrarily In a manner based on chance rather than being He arbitrarily picked names from the
planned list.
Willekeurig
An apartment Is a residential unit that is part of one (or several) She lives in a small apartment now.
residential buildings, or a separate dwelling within a
house with its own entrance, bathroom and kitchen.
A castle A large building, typically of the medieval period, The king lived inside a stone castle.
fortified against attack with thick walls, battlements,
towers, and in many cases a moat.
A penthouse Is an apartment or unit on the highest floor of an They bought a penthouse on top flo
apartment building, condominium, hotel, or tower.
Lofts A type of apartment that features high walls and The loft bedroom has very high
windows and industrial features, as well as a windows.
mezzanine where a bedroom is created (be careful:
loft also has a different meaning in the uk, namely an
upper room or floor).
Detached A house that is not joined to any other house. My parents bought a detached hous
house yesterday.
Vrijstaand huis
A semi- Is a single-family duplex dwelling house that shares A semi-detached house shares one w
detached one common wall with the next house.
house (often
abbreviated
Term Definition Example sentence
Unit 1: real property law
Residential Immovable property designated primarily for This street is a residential living area
habitation
Woongebied/
residentieel Single-family houses, apartments, and condominiums
Commercial Real estate used for business activities involving Offices and shops are commercial
commercial transactions property buildings.
Retail shops, office buildings, and hotels
Agricultural Land and buildings primarily used for cultivating crops, Farmers work on agricultural land fo
raising livestock, or other recognized farming activities crops.
Landbouw
Fields, farmhouses, barns, and stables
Industrial Real estate designed and licensed for industrial The factory is in an industrial zone.
production, storage, logistics, or manufacturing
processes
Factories, warehouses, and plants
Public Property owned by a public legal entity, such as the The library is a public free building.
state, a region, or municipality, for public use or
administration
Roads, parks, schools, public buildings
Real property Land and anything permanently attached (buildings, The farm is his legal real property.
trees, fixtures)
Onroerend
goed A house, plot of farmland
is eigenlijk the real estate, maar plus die bundle of
rights die erbij komt kijken
Personal Moveable possessions not attached to land (chattels, My phone counts as personal prope
property movable assets) today.
Roerend goed A car, a laptop
,Fixture An item previously personal property that is attached The bathtub is a permanent house
and becomes real property fixture.
Vast
onderdeel Built-in oven, central heating
Annexation The process of attaching personal property to land so Annexation makes solar panels real
it becomes real property property.
Toevoeging
Installing solar panels on roof
Severance The act of removing a fixture, turning it back into Severance turned the fixture into
personal property personal property.
Afzonderlijk
Removing a garden shed
Land Includes not only the face of the earth but everything Land includes oil and minerals below
of a permanent nature over or under it, including ground.
Grond minerals, oil, and gases.
Premises The land itself or the land with all structures attached. Smoking is forbidden on school
Residential buildings and yards are commonly referred premises area.
Terrein to as premises.
Statutory Created or regulated by statutes Paying rent is a statutory tenant
obligation.
Wettelijk
Habitation The act of living in or occupying a place The cottage is ready for human
habitation
Huisvesting
The foregoing What has been stated before The foregoing rules explain the cont
clearly.
Het
voorgaande
Willful or Something done knowingly or carelessly He broke window by negligent carel
negligent act act.
Opzettelijke of
nalatige
handeling
Subletting When a tenant leased property to a third party Subletting the apartment requires
landlord’s written permission.
Onderverhure
n
Grant of Giving one’s permission to something The landlord gave grant of consent.
consent
, Toestemming
geven
Abandonment Leaving and no longer using a property The house shows clear signs of
abandonment.
Verlaten/
afstand doen
Mitigate Minimizing any loss due to breach They mitigate damages after heavy
damages storm.
Schade
beperken
Mutual Agreement of both parties Divorce was agreed by mutual conse
consent
Wederzijdse
toestemming
Arbitrarily In a manner based on chance rather than being He arbitrarily picked names from the
planned list.
Willekeurig
An apartment Is a residential unit that is part of one (or several) She lives in a small apartment now.
residential buildings, or a separate dwelling within a
house with its own entrance, bathroom and kitchen.
A castle A large building, typically of the medieval period, The king lived inside a stone castle.
fortified against attack with thick walls, battlements,
towers, and in many cases a moat.
A penthouse Is an apartment or unit on the highest floor of an They bought a penthouse on top flo
apartment building, condominium, hotel, or tower.
Lofts A type of apartment that features high walls and The loft bedroom has very high
windows and industrial features, as well as a windows.
mezzanine where a bedroom is created (be careful:
loft also has a different meaning in the uk, namely an
upper room or floor).
Detached A house that is not joined to any other house. My parents bought a detached hous
house yesterday.
Vrijstaand huis
A semi- Is a single-family duplex dwelling house that shares A semi-detached house shares one w
detached one common wall with the next house.
house (often
abbreviated
