A person claims ownership of a parcel by living on it for five years and showing a deed to a prospective buyer. The legal basis of this claim is referred to as

• A. Prescriptive notice
• B. Constructive notice
• C. Hostile notice
• D. Actual notice

Answer: (D)

Adverse possession, or prescription, is how someone can gain ownership of property by occupying it for a statutory period. For this to work, the possession must be open and notorious, continuous, exclusive, and adverse to the owner's rights. Five years can satisfy the time requirement in many jurisdictions, but the key is that the possession meets all those elements; after the period, title can vest in the possessor even if there’s no deed. Merely showing a deed doesn’t transfer ownership—the deed conveys title, whereas ownership by prescription arises from long‑term, proper possession. Actual notice is simply being aware of the property rights and does not grant title. Constructive notice refers to knowledge presumed from public records and does not establish ownership either. So the concept illustrated is prescription/adverse possession, not notice.