“squatter’s rights” is basically because well meaning lawyers got good tenant protections passed (your landlord shouldn’t be able to just assert you’re a squatter and kick you out), didn’t really think through that the court systems take forever to resolve these cases, and so created a situation where some bad actors figured out they could squat on a property and run out the clock while living rent free and this is the story of many many many things in America
@ArmandDoma nah- "squatters rights" actually have a long history in American law/British law. Not my area but in LS it was a fun topic.
@daniel_s_larson yeah but the news stories circulating around “squatter’s rights” right now are not about adverse possession
@ArmandDoma I think some of them are- the news seems to me to be a miss mash of tennant right/ protection cases in places like NYC and adverse possession in others. Anyways adverse possession has long been with us.
@daniel_s_larson Adverse possession cases require like five years of residency in the property
@ArmandDoma Right- Adverse possession is a classic on the bar exam- we got this cool mnemonic to help remember the elements: CHANGE
@ArmandDoma Goes on for the statutory period (20 years on the MBE), and Exclusive (without the true owner or the public)