In New Pavis, only citizens own land and you need to own land to become a citizen. When the city was founded, Dorasar divided up the land among the settler groups of New Pavis – so he got some (Rich Hill), the Garhounds got some (Old Town), the Eiskoli got some (Sun Town), the Ingilli got some (Riverside), and the Indagos got some (Farmers Quarter). The temples also got land in and out of the city. The members of these groups (and others) all became citizens of New Pavis.
When the Lunars conquered the city, they took much of Dorasar’s property and gave the Patromas much of Downtown. Meanwhile, the Garhounds took over whatever part of Dorasar family holdings weren’t taken by the Lunars (probably mainly stuff associated with the Orlanth temple). After the liberation of the city, Argrath took the Lunar’s share and gave his companions Lunar properties.
Obviously that’s something of an oversimplification, but you get the point – unless you are a noble (or part of the cliche around a noble), your adventurer is likely not a citizen.
What many long-term residents do is that they pledge themselves to one of these groups – this is the formation of clans in New Pavis. Membership in a clan means you – or at least your group – own property. Same thing with becoming a Rune master of a temple.
