Summary
A couple won a legal fight over a small piece of land outside their house against their neighbors who claimed it with a garden gnome. The court decided that the couple had cared for the land long enough to claim it as their own.
Key Facts
- A couple had been tending a small patch of land outside their home in Surrey, England.
- Their neighbors, who moved in during 2022, claimed the land by placing a garden gnome there.
- The dispute involved a legal concept called adverse possession, which allows claiming land if used continuously over time.
- The couple argued and showed they and previous owners had maintained the land as part of their garden.
- An initial tribunal ruled the couple had not cared for the land long enough for adverse possession.
- On appeal, the Upper Tribunal overturned the decision, saying the couple had been in possession since at least 2002.
- The court ordered the couple's registration of the land to proceed without the neighbors' objection.
