Adverse Possession Definition

noun

A method of acquiring title to real estate by actually, continuously, and openly occupying the property for an uninterrupted amount of time to the exclusion of all others and in defiance of the real owner’s rights. The required period of occupancy, as well as other possible conditions, are set by statute.

Webster's New World Law

(law): A means of acquiring title to another's real property without compensation by occupying the property in a manner that is actual, open and notorious, exclusive, hostile, under cover of claim or right, and continuous for a certain number of years.

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