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Real Property LawAdverse PossessionBCHARD

For 25 years a neighbour has openly used and maintained a strip of a BC homeowner's lot as a garden, without permission. The lot has had a registered indefeasible title for decades. Under the Land Title Act, can the neighbour acquire title to the strip by adverse possession?

Correct Answer

A) No; after registration, title is not acquired by length of possession

Land Title Act s. 23(3) states that after an indefeasible title is registered, a title adverse to the registered owner's title is not acquired by length of possession, and s. 24 abolishes acquiring rights by prescription. However long the neighbour's use has lasted, it cannot defeat the registered title.

Answer Options
A
No; after registration, title is not acquired by length of possession
B
Yes, after 10 years of open, continuous and exclusive possession
C
Yes, but only if the neighbour has also paid the strip's property taxes
D
Yes, if the registered owner never objected during the 25 years

Why This Is the Correct Answer

This answer is correct. Under Land Title Act s. 23(3), after an indefeasible title is registered, title adverse to the registered owner cannot be acquired by length of possession. The registered owner keeps the strip regardless of the neighbour's 25 years of use.

Why the Other Options Are Wrong

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Key Terms

adverse possessionLand Title Act s. 23(3)indefeasible titleprescription abolishedProperty Law Act s. 36
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