Government expropriation of private property

Expropriation is a method frequently used by government, particularly in time of war, to obtain control of specific private property. It antedates and differs from nationalization in both motive and degree. Expropriation is generally used when a government needs a particular piece of private property in connection with a well-defined project (for example, the construction of a road). Usually the owner has the right to judicial redress as a remedy for inadequate compensation, but the owner may believe that no financial compensation settlement can be adequate compensation for property with special intrinsic or sentimental value to himself, his family or, in some cases, his community.