Permanent harm done to real property by a person or persons in legal possession of that property (such as a tenant), such that the property's value to its actual owner or future inheritor is diminished. The legal possession part is critical in distinguishing waste from trespass. ameliorating waste. An unauthorized physical change of an occupied structure by a tenant that, while technically waste, actually increases the value of the property, such as tearing out old carpeting and putting in ne...