A property developer in Sydney has succeeded against the
relatives of a deceased property owner in his right to the title
deed of a home in the inner Western Sydney suburb of
Ashbury.
A property developer in Sydney has succeeded against the
relatives of a deceased property owner in his right to the title
deed of a home in the inner Western Sydney suburb of Ashbury.
This case has captured media attention throughout its journey in
the courts, as many people watch in disbelief that a person in this
modern age can lay claim to another's person title simply by
"squatting" for long enough.
The legal principle of adverse possession makes it possible for
a person to claim land that is titled to someone else. That land
claimed may be just a sliver or, as in the abovementioned case of
McFarland v Gertos [2018] NSWSC 1629, something more substantial,
like someone else's home.
