What is Adverse Possession?

Adverse possession is a legal principle by which an individual who is not the legal owner of land can become the legal owner by being in possession of the land for the requisite period of time. Adverse possession is often referred to as “squatters rights”, and the concept of it has been the subject of controversy, however, as explained below, it is not as simple as possessing the land; certain conditions need to be met before adverse possession can be successfully claimed.