Ownership

Ownership is the most comprehensive property right over a thing. In Swiss law it gives the owner broad powers to use, enjoy, alter, transfer, encumber or exclude others, subject to private-law and public-law limits. Ownership may concern movable property or land, and special forms include co-ownership, joint ownership and condominium ownership. Acquisition and transfer follow formal rules, particularly for land, where registration is central. Ownership is not absolute: neighbour law, servitudes, zoning, environmental rules, expropriation, good faith acquisition rules and contractual arrangements may restrict practical control. Comparative discussions should distinguish Swiss ownership from common-law estates and equitable interests, which divide title in ways not identical to civil-law property systems.