What occurs to a property when X dies and his estate reverts to the government?

When a property reverts to the government following someone's death, it is known as escheat. This legal principle occurs when an individual dies without a will (intestate) and without any heirs or legal recipients to inherit the property. In such instances, the government has the right to claim the property. Escheat ensures that property does not remain unclaimed or abandoned but rather is returned to the state, which can then manage or repurpose it for public use.

Foreclosure refers to a lender taking possession of a property due to the owner's failure to make mortgage payments. Partition involves dividing co-owned property among its owners, typically when they cannot agree on how to manage or sell the property. Eminent domain is the government's power to take private property for public use, providing just compensation to the owner. Each of these concepts is distinct from escheat, which specifically deals with the transfer of property to the state upon an individual's death without heirs.