Legal Question in Real Estate Law in New York

Re: ownership of property

You prob are referring to Adverse Possession but just maintaing the property may not be enough.

Re: ownership of property

Another term for this is "title by prescription." To sustain the claim, your possession must be open, notorious, and under a claim of right. That last one is very tricky; for example, if you and your neighbor spoke about an awkward bit of land and he said you could use it (e.g., for a barbecue pit or a sandbox) this will not give rise to title by prescription because you're using the land with the neighbor's permission.

Most attorneys call in a specialist in this highly arcane area of the law rather than handle it themselves. It's enough to give even the most experienced attorneys conniptions.