Definition of horizontal property laws

state statutes that enable condominium ownership of property. Whereas property laws generally recognize ownership rights to all space from the center of the earth to some distance in the air, condominium laws allow individual ownership to be split on a horizontal plane that generally limits the unit owner's interest to the inside dimensions of the unit.

Example: Before passage of horizontal property laws, all owners in a condominium were obligated under each individual mortgage loan in the complex. lf one owner defaulted, the lender could foreclose on the entire condominium. Now, to secure a loan, each owner pledges only his or her limited interest in the condominium.