It is easy to make mistakes when it comes to establishing property boundaries. In many instances, homeowners may install fences or build structures that actually invade their neighbors’ property. In these cases, legal action may occur. However, if the encroachment is left unaddressed for a certain period of time, the encroaching homeowner may gain the rights to that land.
What is Adverse Possession Law?
Adverse possession is a real estate or property law where ownership of another person’s land can be acquired through possessing or using the property for a particular period of time. In Connecticut, one must have possessed the land for 15 years and used it openly and without any interruption to qualify for adverse possession of the land.
This law protects someone who may have used a particular land for an extensive period of time from being evicted by the owner who later uncovers a technical fault concerning his or her land’s original boundaries. For example, a structure, footpath, driveway, or fence may have been wrongly placed past its proper boundary. When the owner of the property whose land has been trespassed notices the default after 15 years in Connecticut, he or she may lose the rights to claim back the encroached land.
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