[Nancy Belle]

My siblings & I inherited property from our parents ,of which settlement has not been agreeded upon. One of our siblings is openly storing their personal belongings on the property. In seven years Can adverse possession be claimed in doing so? Thanks

[N0help4u]

They have to be living there and doing things like the upkeep and paying the taxes.

The basic rule for adverse possession is

The person claiming title to real estate by adverse possession must have actual possession of it that is open, notorious, exclusive and adverse to the claims of other persons to the title. By its very nature, a claim of adverse possession is hostile to the claims of other persons. It cannot be hidden but must be open and notorious in order to put other persons on notice as to one's claim for possession of the real estate.

If anybody else lays claim to it then it is not adverse possession and would be open to dispute.

[ScottGem]

No, this is not an issue of adverse possession. Storing items does not confer ownership.

[Nancy Belle]

My siblings & I have additional inherited property that we willingly allowed another sibling's adult child to occupy for what we thought was temporary situation. They are still there 6 yrs later without paying rent, taxes or ins. Can they claim Adverse Possession after 7 yrs? (TN)

[N0help4u]

No they would have to be paying taxes and maintianing the property.

To prove adverse possession under a typical definition, the person claiming ownership through adverse possession must show that its possession is actual, open, notorious, exclusive, hostile, under cover of claim or right, and continuous and uninterrupted for the statutory period

Actual - You actually acted in the manner of an owner of the property.

Open & Notorious - You engage in acts of possession consistent with the property at issue in a manner which was capable of being seen. (This does not mean that you must have been observed in your acts of ownership but, had the actual owner or members of the public been in a position to see you, your acts must have been observeable). You need not use the property in a manner that exceeds that which would be expected of the actual owner - that is, it may be possible to claim adverse possession of a vacation property on the basis of use only during the vacation season, or to claim adverse possession of a vacant parcel of land by engaging in typical acts of maintenance for the parcel.

Exclusive - The adverse possessor does not occupy the land concurrent with the true owner or share possession in common with the public. One does not have to exclude others from the land in order to claim "exclusive" use, but during the statutory period the person claiming title by adverse possession must have been the only person to treat the land in the manner of an owner.

Hostile - Hostility exists where a person possesses the land of another intending to hold to a particular recognizable boundary regardless of the true boundary line. That is, possession is "hostile" to the title owner's interest in the property. If possession was not hostile, it may still be possible to advance a claim of ownership under a theory of "acquiescence". You cannot claim "adverse possession" if you are engaged in the permissive use of somebody else's land.

Under Cover of Claim or Right - Either when the person claiming the property makes the claim based upon constructive possession under color of title (e.g. there is an error in the legal description in their deed leading them to believe they own part of a neighboring property), or makes the claim based upon actual use and possession of the area of land at issue for the statutory period

Continuous & Uninterrupted - All elements of adverse possession must be met at all times through the statutory period in order for a claim to be successful. It may be possible to claim adverse possession even if there is a transfer of ownership through the principle of "tacking" - for example, a former owner's twelve years of adverse possession can be "tacked" to the present owner's eight years, for a cumulative twenty years of adverse possession.

The Statutory Period - The statutory period, or "statute of limitations", is the amount of time the claimant must hold the land in order to successfully claim "adverse possession".

Adverse Possession Law

[LisaB4657]

The most important reason that adverse possession would not apply here is because you "willingly" allowed them to occupy the property. Their use and occupancy of the property would've had to be without your permission for adverse possession to apply.