What type of estate does a son-in-law have if an heir is designated to inherit a property upon the death of the property holder?

The designation of an heir to inherit a property upon the death of the property holder indicates the presence of a future interest in that property. This future interest is classified as an estate in remainder.

An estate in remainder occurs when a property is granted to one party (the life tenant) for a specified duration—typically for that person’s lifetime—and then it automatically goes to another party (the remainderman) after the life tenant passes away or otherwise terminates their interest. In this scenario, the son-in-law does not have ownership rights to the property during the life of the current owner; instead, he has a right to inherit the property at a later time, which aligns with the characteristics of an estate in remainder.

In contrast, an estate in reversion would involve the original property holder retaining some interest that reverts back to them after the termination of another estate. An estate for years pertains to a leasehold interest for a specified period, and a life estate grants outright ownership of the property for the lifetime of the individual, which is not the case here since the son's potential ownership is deferred until the holder's death.