Which type of estate places conditions on ownership but does not automatically revert on violation?

• A. Fee simple defeasable estate
• B. Qualified/determinable fee estate
• C. Estate fee simple on condition subsequent
• D. Conventional life estate

Answer: (C)

The key idea is how the condition affects ownership, not just that a condition exists. In a fee simple subject to a condition subsequent, a condition is attached to the transfer, but the property does not end automatically when that condition is breached. Instead, the grantor retains a right of entry (a future interest) and must take action to reclaim the property if the condition is violated. That means ownership can continue until the grantor exercises that right.

By contrast, other forms either end automatically when the condition is breached (the grantor’s reversion happens without any further action) or involve a different type of estate altogether (for example, a life estate, which ends on the holder’s death rather than on a breach of a condition). So the form that places a condition on ownership but does not automatically revert on violation is the fee simple subject to a condition subsequent.