The topic of claiming a seeming abandoned property, often referred to as Adverse Possession, is specifically detailed by the laws of many countries. The specifi

The topic of claiming a seeming abandoned property, often referred to as Adverse Possession, is specifically detailed by the laws of many countries. The specifics of those laws can vary a lot between countries. For example in some countries "a few" years of satisfying certain conditions is enough, and in others, it may be 20 years or more. Different countries have different box-ticking lists, before your claim becomes valid. Tangentially speaking - regarding the subdivision, or 'carving up' of property - it's notable that younger countries/cultures, such as Australia and New Zealand, have relatively tight controls upon how land can and can't be split up. With a long term view to preventing messy, piecemeal land arrangements, particularly in urban and productive rural areas. (naturally such arrangements are their own pros/cons can-of-worms, but that's another topic...)