Which statement about severance is correct?

• A. It Is True That An Item Of Real Property May Become Personal Property By Severance.
• B. Severance Cannot Change The Property Type.
• C. Severance Always Occurs When An Item Is Moved Off The Land.
• D. Severance Refers To Attaching Personal Property To Real Property.

Answer: (A)

Severance is the process by which something that is part of real property because it’s attached or fixed to the land becomes personal property when it’s detached. That’s why the statement saying an item of real property may become personal property by severance is correct: once the item is removed from the property, its status changes from real property to personal property.

Think of fixtures like built-in appliances or lighting that are attached to the home; while they’re fixed, they’re considered part of the real estate. When you remove them, they’re no longer part of the land and are treated as personal property. The idea isn’t about simply moving something off the land; it’s about the legal change that occurs when an attached item is severed from the real property.

The other statements drift from this concept: severance does change property type when the item was real property to begin with, it doesn’t always occur just because something is moved off the land (it depends on whether the item was actually a fixture), and severance is not the term for attaching personal property to real property—that would be a fixture or annexation.