Housing, land and property (HLP) rights are central to the safety, dignity, and self-reliance of forcibly displaced and stateless persons. Under international human rights law, they encompass the right to adequate housing, protection of property, and access to land—each essential for physical security, livelihood opportunities, and durable solutions. Adequate housing requires security of tenure, affordability, habitability, cultural adequacy, accessibility, and suitable location, and applies regardless of tenure type, including informal arrangements and emergency accommodation. States must protect individuals from forced eviction, ensure due process, and provide effective remedies when rights are violated. 

Refugees and stateless persons lawfully staying in a country are entitled to treatment not less favourable than that accorded to other non‑nationals regarding housing and property, including acquisition, use, leasing, inheritance, and compensation for expropriation. IDPs likewise have a right to adequate shelter and protection of property under the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement. Safeguarding abandoned homes, land and assets—through secure records, protection against unlawful occupation, and accessible restitution or compensation—is essential for return and recovery. 

Land rights, while not separately codified, are embedded in property protections and include rights to use, control, transfer, and benefit from land. International standards also encourage States to upgrade or regularize informal settlements, improve living conditions without discrimination, and regulate relocations in a rights‑respecting manner. Effective legal remedies—administrative or judicial—must be available for violations of HLP rights, including restitution and compensation.