Legal Definitions - res immobiles

Res immobiles is a Latin term used in civil law systems to refer to immovable things. These are assets that cannot be moved from one place to another without being destroyed or altered. Essentially, it encompasses land, anything permanently attached to the land, and any structures built upon it.

Here are some examples to illustrate this concept:

• A Family Home: Imagine a suburban house, complete with its foundation, walls, roof, and the plot of land it occupies. This entire property—the land and the structure built upon it—is considered res immobiles. It cannot be picked up and relocated; its value is intrinsically tied to its fixed location.

  This illustrates res immobiles because the house and the land are permanently fixed in place and cannot be moved without significant destruction or alteration, fitting the definition of an immovable thing.

• A Commercial Office Building: Consider a multi-story office building in a city center. This building, along with the land it stands on, the elevators, built-in plumbing, and electrical systems, are all classified as res immobiles. Even large, heavy machinery permanently installed within the building for its operation (like a central HVAC system) could be considered part of the immovable property.

  This demonstrates res immobiles because the entire structure, its foundational components, and permanently affixed systems are fixed to the land and cannot be detached and moved elsewhere without losing their essential character and function.

• An Agricultural Farm: A large farm comprising acres of cultivated land, a farmhouse, barns, silos, and an underground irrigation system. All these components—the land itself, the buildings, and the integrated infrastructure like the irrigation pipes—are considered res immobiles.

  This example highlights res immobiles because the land, the structures built on it, and the systems permanently integrated into the land for its use (like the irrigation) are all fixed assets that cannot be physically moved to a different location.