adverse possession

adverse possession definition - legal

n

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 ownerÂ’s rights. The required period of occupancy, as well as other possible conditions, are set by statute.

Webster's New World Law Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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