adverse possession

American  

noun

Law.

1. the open and exclusive occupation and use of someone else's real property without permission of the owner continuously for a period of years prescribed by law, thereafter giving title to the occupier-user.

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adverse possession British  

noun

1. property law the occupation or possession of land by a person not legally entitled to it. If continued unopposed for a period specifed by law, such occupation extinguishes the title of the rightful owner

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Example Sentences

Under Maryland law, trespassers can obtain legal title to a property by occupying it for 20 years, even without permission, through a process called “adverse possession.”

From Washington Post

"It’s so ironic that the family promotes themselves as Christians, but this is the most unchristian thing you can possibly do. Maybe they bought land from someone who had no right to sell it, and even if for the sake of argument he did, my client is the rightful owner by adverse possession," Zaffino argues.

From Fox News

One possible explanation is that Mr. Tavor does not want a so-called adverse possession claim from the co-op: under state law, when someone inhabits and improves a neglected property, it might be possible to get the title to it after 10 years.

From New York Times

He used a legal doctrine called adverse possession, which required him to prove that he had occupied the waterfront for years, continuously and publicly, against the owners’ wishes.

From The New Yorker

Instead, he could simply prove adverse possession to a lawyer, whom the court appointed, and whom he paid.

From The New Yorker