Land law is the form of
law that deals with the
rights to
use,
alienate, or
exclude others from . In many jurisdictions, these kinds of
property are referred to as
real estate or
real property, as distinct from
personal property.
Land use agreements, including
renting, are an important intersection of property and
contract law.
Encumbrance on the land rights of one, such as an
easement, may constitute the land rights of another.
Mineral rights and
water rights are closely linked, and often interrelated concepts. Land rights are such a basic form of law that they develop even where there is no state to enforce them; for example, the
claim clubs of the
American West were institutions that arose organically to enforce the system of rules appurtenant to mining.
Squatting, the occupation of land without ownership, is a globally ubiquitous phenomenon.