Entitlement is a guarantee of access to benefits because of rights, or by agreement through law. It can also refer, in a more casual sense to someone's belief that he/she is deserving of some particular reward or benefit.

In real estate, entitlements refer to the rights obtained through government approvals required to construct an improvement to land, such as, zoning density, utility installations, occupancy permits, use permits, streets.

Example: A land speculator purchased 800 acres of land in a urban area, then gained entitlements for the land by working with the town's political workings and engineering personnel. They then sell the land to a Developer for a hefty profit.