"Under California law, 'waste' is defined as the destruction, misuse, alteration, or neglect of real property by a person who is in lawful possession to the injury of the interest (or estate) of another in the property. 'Bad faith' [i.e., voluntary] waste must be caused by the reckless, intentional or malicious injury to the property."
Waste
When a person (ie. a tenant or a life tenant) who is merely in possession of property, abuses, destroys, or permanently changes the property.
Definition from Nolo’s Plain-English Law Dictionary
Damage to real estate by a tenant that lessens its value to the owner or future owner. An owner can sue for damages for waste, terminate the lease of a tenant committing waste, or obtain a court order against further waste.
Definition provided by Nolo’s Plain-English Law Dictionary.
August 19, 2010, 5:26 pm
In re CMR Mortg. Fund, LLC, Bkrtcy. No. 08-32220 TEC, 2009 WL 2849522, at *9 (Bkrtcy. N.D.Cal. May 8, 2009) (citation omitted).
