Lawyers say that living in a rented apartment for years and paying utility bills under a tenant’s name does not grant ownership rights to the property. Under the law, tenants are considered authorized users of the property, not owners, even if they finance repairs themselves. Ownership through long-term possession is only possible under the legal mechanism known as usucapião, which requires open, continuous, and peaceful possession while acting as the true owner. A minimum of 15 years is required for good-faith possession, while bad-faith possession requires 20 years. Lawyer Sónia Pascoal says such claims are rarely applicable to rental agreements and are usually easy to challenge in court. Material taken from https://t.me/s/lepta