What process allows the government to take control of a property when the owner dies without a will or legal heirs?

The process that allows the government to take control of a property when the owner dies without a will or legal heirs is known as escheat. This legal principle serves an important function in property law, ensuring that unclaimed or abandoned property does not simply remain inactive or fall into a state of neglect. Instead, the property is transferred to the state, which can then manage it and potentially return it to productive use, fostering responsible stewardship of land and resources.

Escheat typically occurs when a person passes away without any identifiable heirs or leaves no valid will designating how their property should be distributed. Under these circumstances, the state claims the property to ensure it does not remain ownerless. It is a mechanism that protects the public interest by redistributing property to the government, which can then handle it according to local laws and regulations.

The other processes listed, such as lis pendens, condemnation, and taxation, refer to different legal concepts. Lis pendens pertains to a pending lawsuit affecting a property, while condemnation is a process where the government takes private property for public use, typically with compensation. Taxation involves the imposition of taxes, which do not pertain directly to the transfer of property ownership upon an owner's death. Thus, escheat