Community property (United States) also called community of property (South Africa) is a marital property regime that originated in civil law jurisdictions but is now also found in some common law jurisdictions.. Community of property regimes can be found in countries around the world including Sweden, Germany, Italy, France, South Africa and parts of the United States. In civil law countries such as Spain, France and Germany, spouses can generally select one of several matrimonial regimes to divide property, with community property being one option, along with the separate property system and a participation system.