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Simple English definitions for legal terms
chattel
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A quick definition of chattel:
Chattel means things that can be moved, like animals, money, and things you can hold in your hand. It's different from land and buildings, which are called real property. There are special rules for dealing with chattel, like if someone takes your things without permission, it's called conversion.
A more thorough explanation:
Chattel is a type of property that refers to movable goods. This includes things like animals, money, and leases. In the past, chattel referred to all property that wasn't real property, but now it usually only refers to tangible personal property that can be moved around.
For example, if you own a car, that car is considered chattel because it's a movable piece of property. Similarly, if you have a pet dog, that dog is also considered chattel because it's a movable piece of property that you own.
Chattel is different from real property, which refers to things like land and buildings. There are different laws that apply to chattel property and real property. For instance, if someone steals your car, you can sue them for conversion, which is a type of tort that only applies to chattel property.