chilot.wordpress.com Law of Property Teaching Material Prepared by: Fassil Alemayehu Prepared under the Sponsorship of the Justice and Legal System Research Institute 2009 chilot.wordpress.com Table of contents INTRODUCTION-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1 UNIT ONE- GENERAL OVERVIEV OF PATRIMONY, PROPERTY AND PROPERTY LAW-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------3 1.1 RIGHTS PROTECTED UNDER THE CIVIL LAW AND THE CONCEPT OF PATRIMONY--------------------------------------------------------------3 1.2 THE CONCEPT OF PROPERTY ----------------------------------------------------------------5 1.3 DEFINITION AND SCOPE OF PROPERTY LAW ------------------------------------------6 1.4 THEORIES OF PROPERTY-----------------------------------------------------------------------8 1.4.1 THEORIES REGARDING ORIGIN OF PROPERTY -------------------------------9 1.4.2 THEORIES REGARDING THE JUSTIFICATION OF PRIVATE PROPERTY---------------------------------------------------------------------17 1.5 OBJECTS OF PROPERTY-------------------------------------------------------------------------19 1.5.1 DEFINITION----------------------------------------------------------------------------------19 1.5.2 INTRINSIC ELEMENTS OF THINGS----------------------------------------------------22 1.5.3 ACCESSORIES OF THINGS---------------------------------------------------------------23 1.6. CLASSIFICATION OF OBJECTS OF PROPERTY--------------------------------------------24 i chilot.wordpress.com 1.6.1 THE PURPOSE OF CLASSIFICATION-------------------------------------------------24 1.6.2. CORPOREAL AND INCORPOREAL THINGS --------------------------------------25 1.6.3 MOVABLE AND IMMOVABLE THINGS---------------------------------------------27 1.6.3.1 MOVABLE THINGS-------------------------------------------------------------------27 1.6.3.2 IMMOVABLE THINGS----------------------------------------------------------------28 1.6.4 REAL AND PERSONAL PROPERTY-----------------------------------------------------31 1.6.5 MISCELLANEOUS CLASSIFICATIONS-------------------------------------------------32 UNIT TWO-POSSESSION--------------------------------------------------------------35 2.1 TEHORIES AND DEFINITION OF POSSESSION------------------------------------------35 2.1.1 THEORIES OF POSSESSION----------------------------------------------------------------------35 2.1.2 DEFINITION OF POSSESSION--------------------------------------------------------------------38 2.2 ACQUISITION OF POSSESSION--------------------------------------------------------------40 2.3 DEFECTS OF POSSESSION--------------------------------------------------------------------41 2.3.1 PRECARIOUS POSSESSION------------------------------------------------------------41 2.3.2 CLANDESTINE POSSESSION----------------------------------------------------------43 2.3.3 VIOLENCE ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------42 2.3.4 AMBIGUITY/ DUBIOUSNESS----------------------------------------------------------43 2.4 EFFECTS OF POSSESSION---------------------------------------------------------------------43 2.5 PROTECTION OF POSSESSION----------------------------------------------------------------44 2.5.1 POSSESSORY ACTIONS --------------------------------------------------------------------------45 2.5.2 USE OF FORCE--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------50 ii chilot.wordpress.com 2.6 TRANSFER OF POSSESSION------------------------------------------------------------------51 2.7 LOSS OF POSSESSION---------------------------------------------------------------------------52 UNIT THREE-OWNERSHIP----------------------------------------------------------53 3.1 DEFINITION AND ELEMNTS OF OWNERSHIP--------------------------------------------55 3.2 RESTRICTIONS ON THE RIGHT OWNERSHIP---------------------------------------------57 3.3 PROPERTY RIGHTS WITH REGARD TO LAND AND WATER-------------------------60 3.4 ACQUISITION OF OWNERSHIP-------------------------------------------------------------------62 3 .4.1 OCCUPATION---------------------------------------------------------------------------------63 3.4.2 POSSESSION IN GOOD FAITH-------------------------------------------------------------67 3.4.3 ACQUISITIVE PRESCRIPTION (USUCAPTION) --------------------------------------70 3.4.4 ACCESSION-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------74 3.5 TRANSFER OF OWNERSHIP RIGHTS------------------------------------------------------76 3.6 PROOF OF OWNER SHIP RIGHTS-------------------------------------------------------------81 3.7 EXTINCTION OF OWNERSHIP RIGHTS--------------------------------------------------------83 iii chilot.wordpress.com UNIT FOUR- JOINT OWNERSHIP--------------------------------------------------85 4.1 DEFINITION AND SCOPE-----------------------------------------------------------------------85 4.2 ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF JOINT OWNERSHIP--------------------87 4.3 SOURCES OF JOINT OWNERSHIP------------------------------------------------------------88 4.4 RIGHTS AND DUTIES OF JOINT OWNERS------------------------------------------------89 4.5 SPECIAL CASES OF JOINT OWNERSHIP--------------------------------------------------92 UNIT FIVE – USUFRUCT--------------------------------------------------------------96 5.1 DEFINITION----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------96 5.2 SOURCES OF USUFRUCT----------------------------------------------------------------------97 5.3 RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS OF THE USUFRUCTUARY-----------------------------98 5.4 RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS OF THE BARE OWNER--------------------------------100 5.5 EXTINCTION OF USUFRUCT----------------------------------------------------------------101 5.6 RIGHT OF USE AND HABITATION----------------------------------------102 5.6.1 RIGHT OF USE----------------------------------------------------------------------------102 5.6.2 RIGHT OF HABITATION /OCCUPATION OF PREMISES/-----------------------103 UNIT SIX- SERVITUDE---------------------------------------------------------------105 6.1 DEFINITION--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------105 6.2 PURPOSE OF SERVITUDE------------------------------------------------------------------106 6.3 SOURCES OF SERVITUDE ------------------------------------------------------------------108 6.4 RIGHTS AND DUTIES OF THE PARTIES-------------------------------------------------109 6.4.1 RIGHTS AND DUTIES OF THE SERVIENT OWNER/HOLDER--------------110 iv chilot.wordpress.com 6.4.2 RIGHTS AND DUTIES OF THE DOMINANT OWNER/HOLDER------------111 6.5 TYPES OF SERVITUDE----------------------------------------------------------------------111 6.5.1 URBAN SERVITUDES AND RUSTIC/ RURAL SERVITUDES----------------111 6.5.2 CONTINUOUS AND DISCONTINUOUS SERVITUDES----------------------112 6.5.3 APPARENT AND NON-APPARENT SERVITUDES----------------------------112 6.6 EXTINCTION OF SERVITUDE---------------------------------------------------------------113 UNIT SEVEN - RIGHT OF RECOVERY AND RESTRICTIONS ON THE RIGHT TO TRANSFER CERTAIN THINGS------------------------------------115 7.1 RIGHT OF RECOVERY------------------------------------------------------------------------115 7.1.1 DEFINITION-------------------------------------------------------------------------------115 7.1.2 PERSONS HAVING A RIGHT OF RECOVERY-----------------------------------116 7.1.3. CONDITIONS FOR THE EXERCISE OF RIGHT OF RECOVERY-------------117 7.1.4 EFFECT OF RIGHT OF RECOVERY-------------------------------------------------118 7.1.5 LOSS OF RIGHT OF RECOVERY-----------------------------------------------------119 7.2 PROMISE OF SALE AND RIGHT OF PRE-EMPTION--------------------------- -------119 v chilot.wordpress.com 7.2.1 DEFINITION AND REQUIREMENTS FOR VALIDITY--------------------------119 7.2.2 RIGHTS AND DUTIES OF THE PARTIES-----------------------------------------121 7.2.3 EXTINCTION OF RIGHTS OF THE BENEFICIARY-----------------------------122 7.3 PROHIBITION OF ASSIGNMENT OR ATTACHMENT---------------------------------122 7.3.1 DEFINITION-------------------------------------------------------------------------------122 7.3.2 FORMAL REQUIREMENTS-----------------------------------------------------------123 7.3.3 RIGHTS AND DUTIES OF THE PARTIES------------------------------------------124 UNIT EIGHT-COLLECTIVE EXPLOITATION OF PROPERTY----------126 8.1 DEFINITION AND NATURE OF PUBLUIC DOMAIN-----------------------------------126 8.2 EXPROPRIATION-------------------------------------------------------------------------------128 8.2.1 DEFINTION -------------------------------------------------------------------------------128 8.2.2. PUBLIC PURPOSE------------------------------------------------------------------------130 8.2.3 EXPROPRIATION PROCEDURES UNDER THE CIVIL CODE----------------132 8.2.3 EXPROPRIATION PROCEDURES UNDER PRO NO 455/2005 ---------------134 vi chilot.wordpress.com UNIT NINE- REGISTRATION OF PROPERTY---------------------------------------------------139 9.1 NATURE AND TYPES OF REGISTRATION------------------------------------------------139 9.2 PURPOSES OF REGISTRATION--------------------------------------------------------------140 9.3 THINGS REQUIRED TO BE REGISTERED-------------------------------------------------141 9.3.1 IMMOVABLE THINGS------------------------------------------------------------------141 9.3.2