Welcome all, I am Professor Easement. While I don’t have an official degree in Easementology, I have earned my credentials acquiring easements throughout Virginia and the District of Columbia. Additionally, Professor Easement teaches a class on Easements and Right-of-Ways at an accredited engineering institute here in Northern Virginia.

My firm, ERM & Associates, specializes in acquiring easements and property on behalf of our clients. Using the current World Cup as an analogy, you could say I have been in the easement pitch for decades. You might be asking yourself, did I grow up dreaming of running an easement acquisition company? The answer is no, but here I am, here you are, so let us begin.

The first topic has to be……What is an Easement?
An easement is a transfer of certain property rights from the property owner to a specified entity or entities. The rights transferred are documented in a Deed of Easement. In most instances, the property over which the easement is granted remains in the possession of the property owner. This is one of the biggest differences between a Right-of-Way (ROW) and an easement. ROW’s normally entail the actual transfer of property from one entity to another. We continue to mention the “transfer of property rights”. Those rights are based on the use of the easement and the type of easement being requested.

Examples of property rights:

  • Inability to place a structure over the easement.
  • Inability to build a fence over the easement.
  • Restrict the ability to plant a tree or shrubs within the easement area.
  • Restrict certain activities within the easement without permission from the easement holder.
Types of easements:
  • Utility Easements
  • Access Easements
  • Avigation Easements
  • Conservation Easements
  • Permanent vs. Temporary Easements

We will discuss these and many other types of easements in more detail in future editions of this forum. We have just scratched the surface in answering the age old question, What is an Easement?

Easements aren’t as sexy as great food, rockin music or a new car, but trust that they are very important to provide necessary services to the general public throughout the world. I hope you enjoyed this first installment of Professor Easement.

Feel free to contact me with any questions, rebuttals or additions to the information provided within this forum. Of course, if you have a project which requires an easement or property acquisition and want to engage the experts in the field, ERM & Associates is ready to assist.
Contact Professor Easement @ 540-347-5547 or go to www.ermassoc.com to learn more about ERM and the services we provide..

Category: ERM Associates

Author: switzman