In Scots law, movable property refers to anything that isn’t heritable property (real estate). This can include a wide variety of items, including:

Tangible personal property: This includes items like furniture, vehicles, jewellery, artwork, and other physical objects that can be moved from one location to another.

Intangible personal property: This includes things like stocks and shares, patents, trademarks, copyrights, and other forms of intellectual property.

Cash and financial assets: Money in bank accounts, as well as financial instruments like bonds or promissory notes, are considered movable property.

In other jurisdictions, movable property may be referred to as “personal property” or “chattels”.

It’s worth noting that laws regarding the purchase, sale, and inheritance of movable property can differ significantly from those governing heritable property. For example, movable property is not usually subject to the same kind of registration requirements as heritable property.

For more on the differences between Heritable and Movable property, see our article on Heritable Property