New Perspectives on Acquisitive Prescription

New Perspectives on Acquisitive Prescription 11
Dr Björn Hoops & Dr Ernst J. Marais
1 Introduction 11
2 The Legal Requirements for Acquisitive Prescription 13
3 The Societal Functions of Acquisitive Prescription and Adverse
Possession 14
4 The Role of Land Registration Systems 16
5 Alternative Remedies 17
6 Concluding Remarks 19
Part I The Legal Requirements for Acquisitive Prescription 21
Italian Perspectives on Acquisitive Prescription of Immovables 23
Dr Francesco Mezzanotte
1 Introduction 23
2 Acquisitive Prescription of Immovables under Italian Law 25
3 Possession as a Legal Concept 29
4 The Justifications of Acquisitive Prescription 36
5 The Nature of possessio ad usucapionem in Italian Law 47
6 Conclusions 51
How Can Acquisitive Prescription Be Proved in Belgian Law? 55
Dr Johan Van de Voorde & Prof. Nicolas Carette
1 Introduction 55
2 Proving that the Conditions for Acquisitive Prescription Are Satisfied 60
3 ‘Memorialising’ the Proof 71
4 Conclusion 77
Deceptive Ease of Land Acquisition Through Long Use – Substantive vs. Procedural Requirements in Polish Law 79
Prof. Magdalena Habdas
1 Introduction 79
2 Substantive Premises of Acquisitive Prescription of Land 81
3 Acquisitive Prescription by the State and Against the State 84
4 Presumptions Concerning Possession 87
5 Ascertaining Acquisition Through Acquisitive Prescription 90
6 Conclusions 96

Part II The Societal Functions of Acquisitive Prescription and Adverse Possession 99
Acquisitive Prescription in a Post-Transition Jurisdiction 101
Dr Jozef Štefanko
1 Introduction 101
2 Problems of Land Ownership and Use 103
3 Evolution of Acquisitive Prescription in Slovakia in the Last Century 110
4 Addressing the Issues of Transformation and Acquisitive
Prescription 118
5 Conclusion 124
The ‘Undeserving’ and the ‘Deserving’ Squatter under the Irish Law on Adverse Possession 127
Dr Una Woods
1 Introduction 127
2 The Impact of Bad Faith or an Acquisitive Intention on the Success of an Adverse Possession Claim 131
3 The Case for Precluding Claims by Bad Faith Adverse Possessors 138
4 Identifying Deserving/Undeserving Squatters in the Irish Context 150
5 Conclusion 155
Appendix – Irish case law 156
David Against Goliath: The Distributive Justification for the Adverse Possession Doctrine 159
Prof. Shai Stern
1 Doctrine 159
2 Adverse Possession: Considerations and Justifications 160
8 New Perspectives on Acquisitive Prescription
3 Rethinking the Adverse Possession Doctrine’s Traditional Justifications 163
4 It’s About David: The Distributive Justification for the Adverse Possession Doctrine 168
5 The Distributive Justification for Adverse Possession Doctrine: Challenges Addressed 172
6 Conclusion 181