What need does tacking fulfill in property law?

Tacking is a legal principle in property law that allows for the combination of successive periods of adverse possession by multiple parties to fulfill the continuous possession requirement. This means that if one individual has been in possession of a property for a certain period and then transfers their claim to another person who continues to possess the property, the two periods of possession can be combined. Therefore, tacking enables a single, unified claim of adverse possession that meets the statutory duration required for such claims to be valid.

For instance, if Person A possesses a property for 10 years and then Person B possesses it for another 5 years, tacking allows these two time periods to be added together to meet the 15-year requirement needed for adverse possession in many jurisdictions. This principle supports the idea that property rights can be established through continuous and uninterrupted possession, even when that possession changes hands, thereby strengthening claims of ownership based on long-term use and occupation.