how long do I have to have use private land to be able to claim it

[Dave G]

How long do I have to have use of rivate land to be able to claim it

[Loosehead]

If you occupy land that is not yours and the owner or authorities do nothing for 12 years then you can claim it.

[Octavius]

An owner of unregistered land can lose his or her ownership after there has been a period of uninterrupted "adverse possession". All land is owned by someone but not necessarily registered. The true owner of the land may take legal proceedings and if successful the 'squatter' may be responsible for all legal costs which could run into tens of thousands of pounds. The rules for registered and unregistered land are different so tread carefully.

The relevant period as in your question is laid down by the Limitation Act 1980 and is never less than 12 years but can be longer.

If you are in adverse possession of the land and this has gone on for several years you can record the fact with Land Registry. The minimum period is either 10 years (for registered land) or 12 years (for unregistered land) and in many cases the period is longer.

In any event, a notice is served, usually in the local press for potential interest in the land ownership (i.e. to find the true owner) or served to the registered owner. The evidenced is examined at senior level by the land registry and the site is inspected thoroughly.

See practoce guides for full and further details: http://www.landregistry.gov.uk/publications/?pubtype=35

[Barnze]

Ain't that called "Squatting"?

http://barnze.blogspot.com/

[Dave G]

It is not as a squatter that I am asking but as we have the use of a private unadopted road that no-one claims ownership of we want to maintain the part of the road that is on our side of the road and and for the whole frontage of my property