What describes the termination of an easement through the merger of the servient and dominant tenements?

The correct answer is the termination of an easement. This occurs when the dominant and servient tenements, which benefit from and are burdened by the easement respectively, come under the same ownership. When the same person owns both properties, the purpose of the easement no longer exists because there is no longer a need for one property to benefit from the use of another. This legal principle is based on the idea that an easement is meant to provide rights over another person’s property, and if ownership merges, those rights become irrelevant.

In this scenario, the easement effectively ceases to exist because the relationship that necessitated the easement is eliminated. Understanding this concept is essential in real estate as it clarifies how property rights can change over time with ownership transitions.

The other options do not apply in this context; creating a new easement would imply the beginning of a new legal right, while terminating a leasehold interest refers to a rental situation, and transferring ownership concerns the act of selling or giving away property, none of which directly relate to the merging of tenements and the resulting cessation of an easement.