General property law affects everyone, both individuals and businesses. It is a set of rules that governs the relationship between individuals and businesses, and between them and goods.

General property law includes rules concerning agreements and contracts, liability, and compensation. It also includes rules concerning ownership and security rights such as pledges, mortgages, and ground leases, as well as rules for the management and distribution of joint property. Examples include marriage, divorce, dissolution of cohabitation, and inherited property. This also includes neighbor law and the joint ownership of roads, swimming pools, and infrastructure.

Questions about what needs to be regulated in contracts, who is liable for certain conduct and damage suffered, who owns a particular asset, how that asset can be transferred, and who can exercise that asset under certain conditions are all questions that are answered within property law. What can you do if your contractual partner fails to fulfill its obligations? Can you protect yourself against such risks in advance? How can you strengthen your own (legal) position? The issues within general property law vary widely.

General property law mainly concerns the proper regulation of the mutual rights and obligations of parties in everyday (economic) transactions. This set of rules therefore also covers the consequences of unlawful conduct, cases of strict liability, and the rules relating to the determination of damage and the right to compensation.