Municipal property, along with public and private, is one of the main forms of ownership. In Russia, such a provision is legislatively enshrined in the Constitution (paragraph 2 of article 9). According to the Constitution, the subjects of the right of municipal ownership are municipal entities. Local self-government bodies exercise on their behalf the rights to use, own and dispose of this property.
Municipal property is under the jurisdiction of the administrative-territorial entities: cities, districts, towns, etc. The objects of ownership are the property of local governments, housing funds, non-residential premises, local budget funds, extrabudgetary funds, manufacturing enterprises, the service sector, cultural, educational, public health institutions, etc.
Municipal property is secured in large part by municipal enterprises or is transferred to the jurisdiction of municipal institutions. In the case of the transfer of property to the enterprises, they receive the right to independently manage the property received (property law - the right of management). Institutions, on the other hand, receive the right of operational management to property assigned to their account.
Municipal property from the beginning of its existence has been distinguished by the organization closest to the population, since it serves by its means and capabilities to satisfy the needs and needs of the population.
Historically, municipal property expands its composition and complicates the governance structure. Initially, it included only health care, education, social security institutions, communication lines, but with the development of society and technology, water, electricity and gas supply, sewage, transportation, housing and non-residential buildings, etc., were added to the listed entities. of this type of ownership, the structure and managerial staff are being improved (more and more qualified operation specialists are constantly required).
Historically, municipal property arose as an independent type of property, but developed under the pressure of state structures, to a certain extent subject to them. However, in recent years there has been a steady opposite trend of the gradual release of municipal property from subordination to the state and its transfer to the jurisdiction of local governments.
Municipal differs from the state form of ownership in the following way: its operation is characterized by the pursuit of rather narrow goals to improve the living conditions of local residents, the improvement of the territories of settlements. State ownership is striving to meet the needs of all citizens, regardless of their place of residence.
Municipal ownership of the land implies the authority to own, dispose and use the land that belongs to the municipality. The objects of this right include land plots that were transferred to the Russian Federation or its subjects into municipal ownership or deemed to be such on the basis of federal laws. Ownership of land should support a certificate of ownership.
Municipal (communal) property does not exist in all countries, but only in those where the corresponding historical background has developed for its appearance. In Russia, it is considered at the legislative level as an independent form of ownership. It includes property of cities, rural settlements and municipalities owned by right of ownership.