{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"The Paul Truesdell Podcast","title":"Adverse Possession and Why Every Property Owner Should Understand It","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":885,"description":"Adverse Possession and Why Every Property Owner Should Understand ItUse It or Lose It Is Not Just a SayingThe Quiet Way Strangers Can Take Your LandMost people have never heard the term adverse possession until someone tries to take a piece of their land using it. By then, it is usually too late to do much about it except hire a lawyer and hope for the best. That is not a position you want to find yourself in, especially after spending a lifetime building and protecting what you own.Adverse possession is a legal doctrine that allows someone who occupies land they do not own to eventually gain legal title to that land if certain conditions are met over a specified period of time. It sounds almost un-American when you first hear it. How can someone take your property just by using it? But the doctrine has been part of English and American law for centuries, and it is alive and well in every state including Florida.A recent Georgia Supreme Court case called Brownphil versus Cudjoe illustrates exactly how this works and why property owners need to pay attention.The facts were straightforward. Two parties had competing claims to an undeveloped lot in Bibb County, Georgia. One party, Brownphil, had an unbroken chain of title going back through recorded deeds. The other party, Cudjoe, had a deed to the same property, but his chain of title had gaps. Cudjoe knew his deed was not supported by a continuous chain, so he asserted adverse possession instead, claiming he had been in possession of the property long enough under Georgia law to gain title regardless of the paperwork problems.The case worked its way through the Georgia court system. The trial court sided with Cudjoe. The appellate court affirmed. Brownphil appealed to the Georgia Supreme Court, which finally vacated the lower court decisions and sent the case back for further proceedings.The Supreme Court made an important distinction that every property owner should understand. Under Georgia law, someone can gain...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/115-XsjkdwCpJ99xv-8oZ76t6jr8ScWEC5MYSKzL0ig/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS82MTUx/OWRiNTc0NTk0Y2Nk/M2VjYTliMGVhN2Zm/YTZkZi5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}