Terms Used In Vermont Statutes > Title 33 > Chapter 51 - General Provisions

• Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
• Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
• Apartment: means a part of the property intended for any type of independent use, including commercial uses. See
• Appraisal: A determination of property value.
• Association: means all of the site owners acting as a group in accordance with the bylaws and declaration. See
• Association of owners: means all of the apartment or site owners acting as a group in accordance with the bylaws and declaration. See
• Building: means a building containing two or more apartments, or two or more buildings containing a total of two or more apartments, and comprising a part of the property. See
• Commissioner: means the commissioner of the department of housing and community affairs. See
• Common expenses: include :

• Comparable housing: means housing that is decent, safe, sanitary, and in compliance with all local and State housing codes, and provided with facilities equivalent to those provided by the landlord in the dwelling unit in which the tenant then resides in regard to each of the following: apartment size, rent range, major kitchen and bathroom facilities, special facilities necessary for persons with disabilities or who have an infirmity, and desirability of neighborhood, school facilities, or area. See
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Conversion: means a change in character of residential real property from a rental to an ownership basis. See
• converted: means a change in character of a mobile home park from a rental to a common interest ownership basis. See
• Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
• Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Declarant: means any person who offers for transfer ownership interests in a common interest community as part of an initial common promotional plan. See
• Declarant: means any person who offers for transfer the ownership interest in a mobile home park to a condominium or similar arrangement. See
• Declaration: means the instrument by which the property is made subject to this chapter, as herein provided, and as the instrument may be amended from time to time. See
• Deed: The legal instrument used to transfer title in real property from one person to another.
• Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
• Deposition: An oral statement made before an officer authorized by law to administer oaths. Such statements are often taken to examine potential witnesses, to obtain discovery, or to be used later in trial.
• Dismissal: The dropping of a case by the judge without further consideration or hearing. ^Source:
• Docket: A log containing brief entries of court proceedings.
• Election period: means the six-month period which begins with the declarant's submission of notice of intent to convert a mobile home park under section 1353 of this subchapter. See
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Fees: shall mean earnings due for official services, aside from salaries or per diem compensation. See
• following: when used by way of reference to a section of the law shall mean the next preceding or following section. See
• Foreclosure: A legal process in which property that is collateral or security for a loan may be sold to help repay the loan when the loan is in default. ^{Source: OCC}
• Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
• Grantor: The person who establishes a trust and places property into it.
• Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
• Hearsay: Statements by a witness who did not see or hear the incident in question but heard about it from someone else. Hearsay is usually not admissible as evidence in court.
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Justice: when applied to a person, other than a Justice of the Supreme Court, shall mean a justice of the peace for the county for which he or she is elected or appointed. See
• Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). ^{Source: OCC}
• Leaseholder: means a person who has a leasehold interest derived from the declarant or any site purchaser in a site in a mobile home park to be converted pursuant to this subchapter. See
• Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
• Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
• Magistrate: shall mean any Supreme Court Justice, Superior judge, District judge, or Probate judge. See
• Mobile home park: means a mobile home park as defined under 10 V. See
• Mobile home park: has the meaning given in 10 V. See
• Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
• Mortgagee: The person to whom property is mortgaged and who has loaned the money.
• Mortgagor: The person who pledges property to a creditor as collateral for a loan and who receives the money.
• Nonpurchasing leaseholder: means a leaseholder who has elected not to purchase a site in a mobile home park to be converted pursuant to this subchapter. See
• Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
• Person: shall include any natural person, corporation, municipality, the State of Vermont or any department, agency, or subdivision of the State, and any partnership, unincorporated association, or other legal entity. See
• Person: means an individual, corporation, partnership, association, trustee, or other legal entity. See
• Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
• Presentence report: A report prepared by a court's probation officer, after a person has been convicted of an offense, summarizing for the court the background information needed to determine the appropriate sentence. ^{Source: U.S. Courts}
• Probate: Proving a will
• Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
• Probation officers: Screen applicants for pretrial release and monitor convicted offenders released under court supervision.
• Property: includes the land, the building or site and all improvements and structures thereon all owned in fee simple absolute or any other estate in real property recognized by law and all easements, rights, and appurtenances thereto, and all articles of personal property intended for use in connection therewith, which have been or are intended to be made subject to this chapter. See
• Prosecute: To charge someone with a crime. A prosecutor tries a criminal case on behalf of the government.
• Purchasing leaseholder: means a leaseholder who has elected to purchase a site in a mobile home park to be converted pursuant to this subchapter. See
• Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
• Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
• Remainder: An interest in property that takes effect in the future at a specified time or after the occurrence of some event, such as the death of a life tenant.
• Restitution: The court-ordered payment of money by the defendant to the victim for damages caused by the criminal action.
• seal: shall include an impression of the official seal made upon paper alone or by means of a wafer or wax affixed thereto. See
• Service of process: The service of writs or summonses to the appropriate party.
• Site: means the spatial location occupied or to be occupied by a mobile home, including all utilities and amenities appurtenant to the location such as piping, wiring, plants, platforms or supports, lights, walls, and all other improvements but not including the land on which the site is located. See
• Site: means the spatial location occupied or to be occupied by a mobile home, including all utilities and amenities appurtenant to the location such as piping, wiring, plants, platforms or supports, lights, walls, and other improvements but not including the land on which the site is located. See
• Site purchaser: means the purchaser of a site from a declarant under this subchapter. See
• State: when applied to the different parts of the United States may apply to the District of Columbia and any territory and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. See
• Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
• Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.
• sworn: shall include affirmed. See
• Tenant: means a person who has a present possessory interest derived from the leaseholder in a site in a mobile home park to be converted pursuant to this subchapter; any person who leases a mobile home located on the site from the declarant shall be considered a tenant. See
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• Town: shall include city and wards or precincts therein; "selectboard members" and "board of civil authority" shall extend to and include the mayor and aldermen of cities; "trustees" shall extend to and include bailiffs of incorporated villages; and the laws applicable to the inhabitants and officers of towns shall be applicable to the inhabitants and similar officers of all municipal corporations. See
• Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
• Venue: The geographical location in which a case is tried.