squatters' rights
Occupancy becomes ownership
Squatters' rights is the informal term for adverse possession—the legal principle that someone who occupies unused property openly and continuously for a specified period may eventually claim ownership.
The doctrine varies by jurisdiction but generally requires years of uncontested occupation: After twenty years on the abandoned farm, she filed for squatters' rights.
The term also appears loosely for any claim based on long presence rather than formal title.
- homelessnessLacking permanent residence
- evictionForced departure from rental
- abandoned propertyProperty without an owner
- vacant lotUnoccupied land parcel
- adverse possessionClaiming land through occupation
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