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Another question arose from my previous question: What is the order of actions in Monopoly?

There are a number of actions that may take place:

  • Roll dice
  • Move token
  • Purchase property
  • Pay rent
  • Improve properties
  • Trade with players
  • Go to jail

I'm sure there are others too.

I checked the rules and didn't notice any specified order for your turn.

Also, what actions can I take when it's not my turn? For example, can I trade with another player, or improve my properties?

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  • 3
    Most of the actions you listed have an order that's obvious from common sense, and implicit from the rules: roll dice, move, collect money if you passed go, do the action for the space you landed on (pay rent or purchase/auction property or go to jail or draw a chance/community chest card). It seems like your actual question is really just "when can I trade/improve properties"... and that seems to be dealt with in the accepted answer on your other question.
    – Cascabel
    Feb 13, 2012 at 18:15
  • Frankly, it's a very old game, and timing is not laid out particularly well. it's clear that you can't buy houses between the die roll and assessing rent owed, but the rest is pretty up for grabs. Controlling the housing supply is a HUGE part of the strategy of the game, but the rules who can buy what when are not at all clear.
    – swbarnes2
    Jun 22, 2015 at 22:35
  • If there is a housing shortage the next available house or hotel goes to the highest bidder.
    – Martin Charette
    Apr 11, 2017 at 4:04

3 Answers 3

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Given the way the rules are themselves ordered...

  1. Throw the dice
  2. move the indicated distance or to jail (if 3rd double in a turn)
    1. collect $200 if land on or pass Go
  3. resolve space
    • ownable properties
      1. pay rent if owned and not mortgaged
      2. buy it if unowned (optional)
      3. aution property if still unowned (not optional)
    • non-ownable properties
      1. resolve as indicated.
      2. collect $200 if resolving puts you passing Go.
  4. Pass the dice or roll again, as appropriate.

The only action which is doable outside one's turn (according to the instructions I've got off-line, in my deluxe box) are buying auctioned properties, buying or trading properties with other players, and using cards that say "use at any time."

All other actions (buying houses/hotels, selling houses/hotels, mortgaging properties, unmortgaging properties) can be done at any point in your own turn.

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  • RE: buying/trading properties off your own turn, are you allowed to trade with anyone? Or just the person who's turn it is?
    – Nathan Koop
    Feb 14, 2012 at 20:11
  • It doesn't specify. So I'd presume anyone. But that pretty much means only empty properties.
    – aramis
    Feb 14, 2012 at 20:23
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    You have missed a critical rule: under BUILDING SHORTAGES in the official rules it states "If there are a limited number of houses and hotels available and two or more more players wish to buy more than the bank has, the houses and hotels must be sold at auction to the highest bidder." The effect of this rule is that (1) houses and hotels are effectively always sold at auction, though there may be only one participant; (2) clearly houses and hotels can be purchased when it is not your turn; and (3) the stated price for houses & hotels on a property group is a minimum, not a set value.
    – Forget I was ever here
    Jun 21, 2015 at 12:47
  • Not in the edition I have.
    – aramis
    Jun 21, 2015 at 21:01
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    This is wrong. Players can definitely develop and mortgage properties on anyone's turn
    – Zags
    Dec 28, 2018 at 19:58
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The turn structure looks like the following:

1. Trade/build. All players may trade properties, mortgage/unmortgage properties, and buy/sell houses/hotels. If the current player is in Jail, they may pay $50 or a get out of jail free card during this step.

2. Movement
A. Roll and move token. If you land on or pass go, collect $200. If this was your third doubles, instead go to Jail and and the turn. If you are in jail and your roll does not get you out of jail, end the turn. If you are in jail and it is your third roll, pay $50 and move your token as normal.
B. Resolve the space you landed on. If it's unowned, purchase/auction property. If it's owned by someone else, pay rent. If it's chance/community chest, draw and resolve a card. If it's go to jail/luxury tax/income tax, follow the instructions on the space. While resolving the space you landed on, players may trade/build as in step 1, but only after the effect of the space has been determined.

3. Handle doubles. If you rolled doubles, go to step 1.

The support for this comes from both the Monopoly Millennium Edition rules and the current standard Monopoly rules.

Building and mortgaging can be done at any time:

You may buy and erect at any time as many houses as your judgement and financial standing will allow.

Houses and hotels may be sold back to the Bank at any time

Unimproved properties can be mortgaged through the Bank at any time.

Trading properties is not mentioned as something that can be done at any time, but it is also not listed with a timing restriction.

"At any time" means that you can do it on anyone's turn, while paying rent, etc. However, rolling, moving, and the determining the consequences of the space you land on are atomic:

[on your turn] throw the two dice and move your token

When you land on a property owned by another player, the owner collects rent from you

Consequently, another player may not build properties after seeing what you have rolled but before determining what rent is owed.

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The three main actions are:

1) Roll dice 2) Move token 3) Pay the "piper" (rent, purchase price, fine, or go to jail) as the case may be. In the case of some chance or community chest cards, you may receive money.

The two "stickier" issues are trades and property improvements.

Most interpretations of the rules say that you can trade properties or other consideration (get out of jail free cards) at any time. That's because it takes two players to make a trade. The one caveat is that if you have landed on something and owe rent or a fine, you cannot trade property until it is clear that you can pay the rent/fine from other sources.

The main question mark is regard to improvements. Here, the official rules are not clear. In many games, there are "house rules" that say a player may buy and sell improvements (including mortgage and unmortgage) only during his/her own turn. Another set of "house rules" say that a player may buy/sell/mortgage property only at the BEGINNING of a turn (before the dice have been rolled). Basically, these rules are meant to prevent players from buying houses and jacking up the rent AFTER someone has landed on a property. In "real life" you couldn't just move a house onto property where people are "staying;" the house would have to have been built beforehand.

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