Editing Private property (section)

== Legal and real-world aspects ==
[[File:Niches and reliefs in Wardija 02.jpg|thumb|left|175px|''Proprietas Privata'' (PP) British period marker in San Martin, [[St. Paul's Bay]], Malta]]
Private property is a legal concept defined and enforced by a country's [[political system]].<ref name="SAGE Publications, Inc"/> The area of law that deals with the subject is called [[property law]]. The enforcement of property law concerning ''private'' property is a matter of ''public'' expense. [[Defence of property]] is a common method of [[Justification (jurisprudence)|justification]] used by [[Legal defense|defendants]] who argue that they should not be held liable for any loss and [[injury]] that they have caused because they were acting to protect their [[property]]. [[Court]]s have generally ruled that the [[use of force]] may be acceptable.

In many political systems, the government requests that owners pay for the privilege of ownership. A [[property tax]] is an [[ad valorem tax]] on the value of a property, usually levied on [[real estate]]. The tax is levied by the governing authority of the jurisdiction in which the property is located. It may be imposed annually or at the time of a [[real estate transaction]], such as in [[real estate transfer tax]]. Under a property-tax system, the government requires or performs an [[Real estate appraisal|appraisal]] of the monetary value of each property, and tax is assessed in proportion to that value. The four broad types of property taxes are [[land (economics)|land]], [[land development|improvements to land]] (immovable human-made objects, such as buildings), [[personal property]] (movable human-made objects), and [[intangible property]].

The social and political context in which private property is administered will determine the extent to which an owner will be able to exercise rights over the same. The rights to private property often come with limitations. For example, local government may enforce rules about what kind of building may be built on private land ([[building code]]), or whether a historical building may be demolished or not. [[Theft]] is common in many societies, and the extent to which central administration will pursue [[property crime]] varies enormously.

Some forms of private property are uniquely identifiable and may be described in a [[Title (property)|title]] or a certificate of ownership. The rights to a property may be transferred from one "owner" to another. A [[transfer tax]] is a tax on the passing of title to property from one person (or entity) to another. An owner may request that, after death, private property be transferred to family members, through [[inheritance]]. In certain cases, ownership may be lost to the public interest. Private real estate may be [[confiscated]] or used for public purposes, for example to build a road.