What does the legal term 'tacking' refer to in property law?

The legal term 'tacking' refers specifically to combining periods of occupation to establish adverse possession. In property law, adverse possession allows a person to claim ownership of land under certain conditions, typically including continuous and exclusive possession for a specific period of time, which varies by jurisdiction. Tacking allows a claimant to add their time of possession to the time of possession of a previous occupant who was in adverse possession, thereby possibly satisfying the required duration of possession to establish ownership.

By enabling the combination of time periods from different occupants, tacking helps individuals strengthen their claims to property that they have occupied, even if they have not been the sole possessor for the entire statutory period themselves. This legal principle is crucial in cases where the initial occupant might not meet the required timeframe alone but, when combined with their predecessors, does meet the criteria for adverse possession.

The other choices, while relevant to property law, deal with different concepts. Transferring property titles concerns the formal process of changing ownership. Reducing property taxes through legal means refers to tax abatements or appeals, which do not involve possession claims. Establishing easements deals with rights to use someone else's property for a specific purpose, rather than claiming ownership through possession.