The land that comprises the City of Kalimsport is actually owned by the Overlord (with a few exceptions) and tenanted out to the various landholders in the city. While buildings and other structures may be owned by these landholders, the actual land is held by the owner, including all mineral rights thereon. The landholders are still considered tenants of the Overlord (or the other noble who holds the parcel).

Land ownership is still considered a privilege of the noble class in Ornis and is restricted, by law, to males of the noble class.

To apply to be a tenant landholder of a parcel within the City, one may fill out an application with a clerk in the Office of the Lord Chamberlain. This application must be co-signed by a tenanted landholder within the City and list three local references of good character. A fee of 10 Gold must be paid to process the application.

The application will be reviewed by the Office of the Lord Chamberlain on its merits and a decision will be made as to whether or not tenancy will be granted. If the application is rejected, the applicant will be notified and they may then re-apply if they wish (with new references and a new fee of 10 Gold). If the application is accepted, the applicant will be notified and then they will be offered a Tenant Contract from the City.

The Tenant Contract generally offered by the City lists the terms of the tenancy of the land being parceled out by the Overlord. The Contract notes the Rent to be paid each year (most lots run at 100 gp per year), the renewal period of the Tenancy, the parties entering into the agreement, the dimensions and location of the land being parceled out, the permitted uses of said parcel, and any other legally binding agreements needed for the Tenancy. Most of these terms were laid out in the application process. Two copies of the Tenant Contract are signed and sealed in the presence of a Clerk of the Chamberlain – one is kept in the Office of the Lord Chamberlain and one is kept by the tenant landholder.

Building in Kalimsport

Once tenancy is acquired, most tenant landholders wish to build something upon the land. First of all, anything built upon the land must conform to the dictates of the Tenant Contract. This Contract must be reviewed by the Office of the Lord Chamberlain to make this determination on behalf of the Overlord. If that determination is found to be acceptable, and the requisite 5 GP fee is paid, the tenant landholder will be issued a Building License.

The tenant landholder will then take that Building License to each subsequent Guild required to raise their building (Masons, Carpenters, Brewers, etc.) in order to secure their services. Each Guild may have their own requirements to do work. The Guilds will not do work without seeing a proper License. Work performed outside of the Guilds is prohibited by City law.

Once the building is complete, it will be assessed by an Assessor of the Office of the Lord Chamberlain for purposes of taxation. The property tax rate in the City of Kalimsport is currently 3% annually.