Estovers

Definition

(Noun) Old English law provided that the tenant leasing forested property could remove trees for making furniture, firewood, house repairs, fence posts, a wagon, feed stalls, barns and houses - all without additional costs payable to the landlord.The free wood was not to enable the tenant to sell the wood as a commercial business.

The free would was not to enable the tenant to sell the wood as a commercial business.

Of course the landlord would set the rental rate high enough to cover wood the tenant might use. Ideally the free wood and the labor to build structures will increase the value of the land when sold or rented to a new owner or tenant. The tenant created land improvements could also justify the landlord to raise the rents periodically from the tenant's sweat equity.

Communities have passed laws and individuals have inserted contract provisions in their leases that preserve such trees for the benefit of the owner and in other instances there are environmental laws that establish a method of obtaining approval before any tree is taken down.