Pandemics and property: current issues and future challenges

This contribution reflects on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic from a property law perspective, with specific emphasis on the role of governmental regulation of the rental housing market and commercial closures. It also offers a bird’s-eye view of other pertinent issues stemming from the pandemic, such as new considerations in spatial planning, zoning and building regulations, questions pertaining to the ownership of healthcare data, and the exacerbation of inequality. The contribution situates the discussion of the pandemic and the challenges it poses for property law within the broader discussion of the property law system’s ability to respond to so-called ‘radically changed circumstances’, and the system’s ability to promote resilient property relationships. The pandemic is therefore more than a single event: it is an opportunity to assess the property law system’s ability to adapt effectively and appropriately in times of crisis.