In the context of adverse possession, what does 'tacking' refer to?

'Tacking' in the context of adverse possession is a legal principle that allows successive periods of possession to be combined or added together to establish continuous possession for the statutory period required to claim adverse possession. This means that if a person has been in possession of a property and that possession is transferred to another person, the second person's period of possession can be added to the first person's period as long as there is privity between the two possessors.

This principle is crucial because it allows parties who may not have possessed the property for the entire statutory period themselves to still make a valid claim to adverse possession by linking their time in possession with that of a predecessor. Essentially, tacking creates a unified period of claimed possession, making it possible to meet the legal requirement for acquiring title through adverse possession, even if no single individual maintained possession for the full statutory duration themselves.

The other choices do not accurately capture the concept of tacking. Joining multiple owners to a contract does not relate to possession or continuous use of property. Transferring possession to a new owner isn't directly about succeeding in claiming ownership through time but rather often involves a change in title without any considerations of tacking. Documenting ownership claims focuses on records rather than the combination of possession periods.