What is a property release?

A property release is a form collected by the photographer and signed by property's owner, which grants both the photographer and buyer permission to use the property depicted for advertising, promotion, marketing, packaging for products and services, and other purposes. The form can be signed by either an individual owner, such as the person who owns the house being photographed, or by a representative of the corporation that owns the property, in the case of office buildings and other public structures. Property releases are for "real property", defined as to include land and buildings, and anything affixed to the land. For a business, real property would include warehouses, factories, offices, and other buildings owned by the business. Real property only includes those structures that are affixed to the land, not those which can be removed, such as equipment. Releases may also be required for "personal property", which refers to things like pets, livestock, equipment, cars, and other objects that can be removed from the immediate area. The buyer is responsible for obtaining all releases that may be required for personal property.