What happens to a property if a life estate is terminated before the life tenant's death?

When a life estate is terminated before the death of the life tenant, the property typically transfers to the remainder man. In the structure of a life estate, the life tenant holds the right to use and occupy the property for the duration of their life. The remainder man, who is designated in the estate planning process, holds a future interest in the property that will become possessory upon the termination of the life estate.

This means that should the life estate end due to various reasons, such as the life tenant selling their interest, abandoning the property, or other legal grounds for termination, the property immediately passes to the remainder man. This ensures that the intended person does receive the property, as laid out in the estate planning process.

Regarding the other options, when a life estate ends, the property does not revert to the state, nor does it become personal property. Instead, it reverts to a designated person who holds the remainder interest. Similarly, while the property could revert to the grantor under certain conditions (like if the life estate was created with a reversionary interest), in this case, the presence of a remainder man indicates that the property directly transfers to that individual instead of reverting back to the grantor.