Land Law - ​The Freehold Estate 
 The Crown is the owner of all land in England and Wales, although particular people have been granted various estates on distinct parts of that property. Freehold and leasehold are the only two recognized estates in land today. A freehold estate is most commonly described as fee simple absolute in possession. This is the closest a person can go to owning a piece of land with the assurance that it will never return to the Crown, barring an intestate death if the legal owner leaves no heirs to carry on the freehold estate. The sole circumstance in which a freehold estate in land is returned to the Crown's ownership is in cases where there is no heir apparent. It's critical that we get this, so let's examine the definition of "fee simple absolute in possession" in more detail:
Simple fee: For as long as they live, the owner of that piece of land is free to use and enjoy it. They can also sell it or engage in other transactions with it, such giving a mortgage, a leasehold estate, or rights to other people. Additionally, they may assign the land in their will.
​Absolute: Their ownership of the land cannot be terminated by the happening of a particular event, such as getting divorced, nor is it contingent upon their marriage. The ownership right is unassailable.
​ In possession: The landowner is allowed to move into and use the property right away. Even if a renter is in possession, the owner will still be entitled to the rent and will not lose "possession" in this sense because being in possession also refers to having the right to receive rent from the land. This may seem like a rather convoluted approach to explain freehold ownership, but it was necessary to distinguish freehold ownership clearly from other types of ownership that had been around before 1925 when it was first introduced.