General property law is concerned with property in its various forms. These include real estate, shares, personal chattels, claims, debts, mortgages, rights to use and enjoy property (such as leases), and copyright.
The general law of property can be broken down into three main areas: the law of contract, the law of real rights (rights in rem), and the law of torts. The law of real rights is concerned with who has ownership of a given piece of property, or other rights to it such as a mortgage or lease. The law of torts concerns situations where liability to pay compensation arises between parties who are not in a contractual relationship to each other.