Property and Land Laws Flashcards
What are the immovable properties decided by law?
(1) Land, buildings, roads and constructions of all kinds adhered to the soil;
(2) Trees, plants, and growing fruits, while they are attached to the land or form an integral part of an immovable;
(3) Everything attached to an immovable in a fixed manner, in such a way that it cannot be separated therefrom without breaking the material or deterioration of the object;
(4) Statues, reliefs, paintings or other objects for use or ornamentation, placed in buildings or on lands by the owner of the immovable in such a manner that it reveals the intention to attach them permanently to the tenements;
(5) Machinery, receptacles, instruments or implements intended by the owner of the tenement for an industry or works which may be carried on in a building or on a piece of land, and which tend directly to meet the needs of the said industry or works;
(6) Animal houses, pigeon-houses, beehives, fish ponds or breeding places of similar nature, in case their owner has placed them or preserves them with the intention to have them permanently attached to the land, and forming a permanent part of it; the animals in these places are included;
(7) Fertilizer actually used on a piece of land;
(8) Mines, quarries, and slag dumps, while the matter thereof forms part of the bed, and waters either running or stagnant;
(9) Docks and structures which, though floating, are intended by their nature and object to remain at a fixed place on a river, lake, or coast;
(10) Contracts for public works, and servitudes and other real rights over immovable property. (334a)
May a Meraclo post be considered as machinery or property?
Yes. Art. 415 (1) provides that Land, buildings, roads and constructions of all kinds adhered to the soil; are immovables by incorporatio.
Everything attached to an immovable in a fixed manner, in such a way that it cannot be separated therefrom without breaking the material or deterioration of the object.
What properties are immovable by nature?
Properties that cannot be moved from one place to another such as lands roads mines quarries
What properties are immovable by incorporation
- These are properties that are essentially movable but are IMMOBLIZED by their attachment to an immovable property in such manner as to be an integral part thereof (buildings, constructions)
Those that cannot be separated without the deterioration ofan object
When is a building considered as an immovable property?
When they are more or less of a permanent structure, substantially adhering to the land and not mere superimpositions.
Are growing fruits considered immovables?
Yes, while they are attached to the land or form an integral part of an immovable.
XP: May be regarded as personal such as purposes for mortgage, attachment and execution
Can machinery placed by a lessee be considered as immovable?
No. machinery only becomes immobilized when placed by the owner, not the lessee
What are considered as movables
- Those susceptible of appropriation which are not included under Art. 415
- Real property which by any special provision of law is considered as personalty
- Forces of nature which are brought under control by science
- In general, all things which can be transported from one place to another without impairment of the real property to which they are fixed
- Obligations and actions which have for their object movable or demandable sums
- Shares of stock of agricultural, commercial and industrial entities
Tests to determine if an object is movable or immovable
- Whether it can be carried from place to place
- Whether the change of location can be affected without injury to an immovable to whcih the object may be attached
- Whether the object is not included under the enumeration under Art. 415
How is property classified based on ownership
- Property of public dominion
- Private Ownership
Different kinds of property of public dominion
- Those intended for public use
- Those intended for some public service
- Those intended for the development of national wealth
Properties for public use vs. Properties for public service
Public Use - It is not confined to privileged individuals, but is open to the indefinite public. It is indefinite quality that gives it its public character
Public Service - Although used for the benefit of the public, cannot be used indiscriminately by anyone but only for those authorized by the proper authority
Characteristics of Public Dominion
- Outside the Commerce of Man
- Cannot be alienated, leased or be the subject of contracts
- Cannot be subject to levy, encumbrance or disposition - any LED of the same is void for being contrary to public policy
- It cannot be acquired by prescription, unless declared to be patrimonial property
What are patrimonial properties
Properties owned by the State in its private capacity, and over which the state has the same rights as private persons do
What are properties of private ownership
- All property belonging to private persons, either individually or collectively
Define Ownership
It is an independent right of exclusive control and enjoyment of the thing for the purpose of deriving therefrom all advantages required by the reasonable needs of the owner and the promotion of general welfare but subject to the restrictions imposed by law and the rights of others
Rights pertaining to ownership
- Jus Utendi - right to use except in such a manner as to injure the rights of a third person
- Jus Abutendi - Right to consume or destroy
- Jus Disponendi - right to dispose, alienate, encumber and transform
- Jus Fruendi - Right to enjoy the fruits
- Jus Vindicandi - Right of action available to the owner against the holder and possesor of the thing in order to recover it
- Jus Possidendi - right to hold a thing or to enjoy a right
Limitations on ownership
- Limitations imposed by the State - such as PP, ED and T
- Limitations imposed by law - legal servitudes
- Limitations imposed by the party transmitting the party - Contracts and Wills
- Limitations imposed by the owner himself - servitudes, mortgages, leases
- Inherent Limitations arising from conflicts with other similar rights - those caused by contiguity of property
Doctrine of Self-Help
Art. 429 Right of the owner or lawful possessor of a thing to exclude any person from the enjoyment and disposal thereof. For this purpose, he may use such force as may be reasonably necessary to repel or prevent actual or threatened unlawful physical invasion or usurpation of his property.
Requisites to invoke Doctrine of Self-Help
- Person defending must be the owner or lawful possessor
- Force employed must be a reasonable force
- Only be exercised at the time of an actual or threatened dispossession
- There must be actual or threatened physical invasion or usurpation which is unlawful.
Limitation on doctrine of Self-Help
This may only be exercised at the time of actual or threatened dispossession
In no case may possession be acquired through force or intimidation as long as there is a possessor who objects thereto. He who believes that he has an action or right to deprive another of the holding of a thing, must invoke the aid of the competent court if the holder should refuse to deliver the thing
Doctrine of State of Necessity
The owner of a thing has no right to prohibit the interference of another with his property if the interference is necessary to avert an imminent danger and the threatened damage, compared to the damage arising to the owner from the interference, is much greater.
The owner may demand from the PERSONS BENEFITTED indemnity for the damage to him.
Requisites for Doctrine of State of Necessity
- There must be a situation of grave peril, an actual or imminent danger, either upon theperson of the actor or a third person or their property
- The interference is necessary to avert such danger
- The threatened damage, comparedd to the damage arising from the interference, is much greater
- The state of necessity must not be brought about by the intentional provocation of the party invoking the same
What is hidden treasure
Any hidden or unknown deposit of money, jewelry or other precious objects where the lawful ownership of which does not appear
Rule as to ownership of hidden treasure
Hidden Treasure belongs to the owner of the land, building or other property on which it is found.
However, when the discovery is made on the property of another or of state, half shall be allowed to the finder
If the finder is a tresspasser, he shall not be entitled to any right to the treasure
Right of Accession
Right by which the owner of the property becomes the owner of everything produced thereby, or which is incorporated or attached thereto, either naturally or artificially
Kinds of accessions
Accesion discreta - right of the owner to the products of the thing owned
Accession Continua - acquisition of ownership over a thing incorporated to that which belongs to another
Kinds of fruits and when do they fall due
- Natural Fruits or spontaneous products of the soil, and the young and other products of animals
- Industrial Fruits or those produced by lands of any kind through cultivation or labor
- Civil Fruits or the rents of buildings, price of leases land and other property, and the amount of perpetual or life annuities or other similar income.
N&I fruits are considered received from the time they are gathered or severed
C fruits are deemed to accrue daily and belongto the posessor in good faith
Obligation of the person who recieves the fruits
Obligation to pay the expenses made by a third person in their production, gathering nd preservation
Instances when the owner is not entitled to any of the fruits
- Usufruct, The right to the fruits of the property in usufruct belong to the usufructuary
- Lease of rural land - lessee is entitled to the natural and industrial fruits while the lessor is entitled to the civil fruits
- Possessor in good faith - where he is entitled to the fruits received by him before his possession in good faith is interrupted
- fruits naturally falling upon adjacent land, the same belong to the owner of said lang and not the owner of the tree
Basic Principles applicable to accession continua and discreta
- Accessory follows the principal
- No one shall unjustly enrich himself at the expense of another
Principles applicable to Accession Continua Only
- Whatever is BPS on the land of another and the improvements thereon, belongs to the owner of the land
- All works, sowing and planting are presumed made by the owner at his expense unless the contrary is proved
- Incorporatiom of the accessory with the principal is effected only when the two things are united that they cannot be separated without injuring or destroying the juridical nature of one of them
- Good faith exonerates a person from liability for damages but they must be held responsible
- Bad faith comes with punishment
- Where both parties are in bad faith, it shall be as though they had acted in good faith
Who are builders in good faith
BPS are in good faith when they believe themselves to be the owner of the land or at least have a claim of title thereto and that they are unaware that there exists in his title or mode of acquisition any flaw which invalidates it.
Alluvion vs. Avulsion
- In alluvion, the deposit of soil is gradual; whereas in avulsion it is sudden and abrupt
- In alluvion, the deposit of soil belongs to the owner of the property where the same was deposited; in avulsion, the owner of the property which was detached retains ownership thereof
- In alluvion, accession takes place immediately upon the deposit of the soil; in avulsion the right of accession takes place only after two years from the attachment or incorporation of the segregated portion of land to the riparian land
- In alluvion, the soil cannot be identified; in avulsion, the detached portion can be identified
Avulsion with respect to Uprooted Trees
IF trees are uprooted and carried away by the current of the waters to another estate, the owner of the tree retains ownership of the same but he is required to claim them within a period of six months.
If the tree has been transplanted by the owner of the land upon which the trees may have been cast and said trees have taken root in said land, the owner is required to pay indemnity for putting them in a safe place
Rule if new river bed is on private estate
Even if the new bed is on private property, the bed becomes property of public dominion, just as the old bed had been of public dominion
Requsites for there to be accretion
- That the deposit be gradual and imperceptible
- That it resulted from the effects of the current of the water
- That the land where accreation takes place is adjacent to the bank of a river
Accion Reinvidicatoria
An action for recovery of POSSESSION by virtue of ownership of the land subject of the dispute. The basic question in the action is the question of ownership of the property.
REQS:
The party must prove the ff:
- Identity of the land claimed
- His title thereto
Accion Publiciana
A PLENARY action to recover the better right of possession which should be brought in the proper court when the dispossession has LASTED FOR MORE THAN 1 YEAR
or in a forcible entry case not effected by FISTS
What are the rights of the owner when the builder is in bad faith
- Appropriate the building without payment of indemnity or damages
- Demand the demolition of the house plus damages
- Compel builder to buy the lane even if it’s value is considerably greater than the value of the building or trees
Tests in Determining the principal for accession as to movables
First test- that to which the other has been united as ornament or for its use or perfection is the principal, the thing is added as the accessory. Refers to intention. (example: A ring and a gem. The ring uses the gem as an accessory. THerefore, the ring is the principal and the gem is the accessory)
Second Test - The thing of greater value is the principal and the other accessory
Third Test - If both things are of equal value, then one is of greater volume is the principal and the other the accessory.
Fourth Test - Greatest Merits
Accession as to movables elements
- 2 or more persons
- 2 or more things belonging to different persons
- The 2 objects form a single object through unification.
- Cannot be separated without injury of the things. If separable, it does not constitute accession.
Adjunction or Conjunction
takes place when two or more movable things belonging to different owners are so united that they cannot be separated without causing injury to one or both them, thereby giving rise to a new thing.
NOTE: If separation is possible without causing a
substantial physical or juridical injury to any of
the movables, then there is no accession.
The distinguishing features of
adjunction are the following:
- that the two or more movables form a distinctive new thing; and
- that each one of the things making up the new one preserves its own nature.
- The latter characteristic serves to distinguish it from confusion which implies a greater degree of identification and in certain cases even a decomposition of the things which have been confused.
Legal Effects of Adjunction in Good Faith
If Effected In Good Faith – the owner of the principal thing acquires the accessory, indemnifying the former owner thereof for its value.
Legal Effects of Adjunction in Bad Faith
- If Effected In Bad Faith By the Owner of the Principal - owner of the accessory may choose between the following options:
(1) to demand payment for the value of the accessory, with a right to be indemnified for damages; or
(2) to demand for the separation of the accessory, even though for this purpose it is necessary to destroy the principal thing, with a right to be indemnified for damages.
The second option, however, does not apply if the same is not practicable as in the case of painting (which cannot be separated from the canvas) or writing (which cannot be separated from the paper). - However, it is presumed that the accessory owner is in good faith because if they are both in bad faith, they will both be presumed in good faith.
- If Effected In Bad Faith By the Owner of the Accessory (OA) first — OA shall lose the thing incorporated and shall have the obligation to indemnify the owner of the principal thing for the damages he may have suffered.
- If Both Acted In Bad Faith — it is as if both acted in good faith.
Rights of the owner of the material in respect to accession of personal property
In the foregoing situations, whenever the owner of the material employed without his consent has a right to an indemnity, he may demand that the same consist either:
- in the delivery of a thing equal in kind and value, and in all other respects, to that employed; or
- in the payment of the price thereof according to expert appraisal.
Commixtion or Confusion
- It refers to mixture of two or more things belonging to different owners.
- If the things mixed are solid, it is called commixtion; if the things are liquid, it is called confusion
Legal Effects of Commixtion or Confusion
- Co-ownership — you owned a portion of the thing. Hindi iisa ang may-ari pero iisa ang property. There is a presumption that the co-owners are equal in proportion. - If the mixture takes place by reason of the following:
(1) by will of both or all owners of the things mixed;
(2) by will of only one owner acting in good faith; or
(3) by chance or fortuitous event, a state of co-ownership with respect to the mixture shall arise and each owner “shall acquire a right proportional to the part belonging to him, bearing in mind the value of the thing mixed or confused.”
(4) by a common agent - Strictly speaking, the situations contemplated are not really cases of accession since the persons involved did not gain anything. Instead, these situations will give rise to a state of co-ownership - If Caused By Only One Owner Acting In Bad Faith - Pursuant to the provisions of the second paragraph of Article 473 of the New Civil Code, if the mixture is caused by only one owner acting in bad faith, he loses the thing belonging to him thus mixed or confused, besides being obliged to pay indemnity for the damages caused to the owner of the thing with which his own was mixed or confused.
Specification
Specification takes place whenever the work of a person is done on the material of another, such material, in consequence of the work itself, undergoing a transformation. It is the imparting of a new form to the material of another person.
Hence, specification involves:
(1) the labor of the worker; and
(2) the materials of another.
NOTE: LABOR IS A PROPERTY. The laborer is then somehow presumed as the principal.
Legal Effect of Good Faith in Specification
Good Faith One who in good faith employs the material of another in whole or in part in order to make a thing of a different kind, shall appropriate the thing thus transformed as his own, indemnifying the owner of the material for its value.
XP: The exception to the foregoing rule is when the material is more precious than the transformed thing or more valuable, in which case, its owner may, at his option:
(1) appropriate the new thing to himself after paying indemnity for the value of the work; or
(2) demand indemnity for the material.
Legal Effect of Bad Faith in Specification
If in the making of the thing bad faith intervened, the owner of the material has two options:
(1) to appropriate the work for himself without paying anything to the maker; or
(2) to demand of the latter (worker) that he indemnify him for the value of the material and the damages he may have suffered.
However, if the value of the work, for artistic or scientific reasons, is considerably more than that of the material, the owner of the material cannot appropriate the work. In such a case, the owner of the material can only demand from the worker the value of his materials and the damages he may have suffered.
Requisites of Action to Quiet Title:
(1) the plaintiff or complainant has a legal or an equitable title to or interest in the real property subject of the action;
(2) there is a cloud on title to real property or any interest therein; and
(3) the deed, claim, encumbrance or proceeding claimed to be casting cloud on his title must be shown to be in fact invalid or inoperative despite its prima facie appearance of validity or legal efficacy.
Legal or Equitable Title
- It is not necessary, therefore, that the person seeking to quiet his title be the registered owner of the property in question
- can connote acquisitive prescription by possession in the concept of an owner thereof.
Prescription in actions to quiet title
In an action to quiet title, the plaintiff need not be in possession of the property. If the plaintiff in an action for quieting of title, however, is in possession of the property being litigated, the action is imprescriptible.
If you are in possession, it does not prescribe because your right of possession is continuing and you are preventing invasion to the property.
If you are NOT in possession, prescribes if its ordinary (10) prescription or extraordinary (30)
Obligations of Owners of Falling Trees
- Whenever a large tree threatens to fall in such a way as to cause damage to the land or tenement of another or to travellers over a public or private road, the owner of the tree shall be obliged to fell and remove it; and should he not do so, it should be done at his expense by order of the administrative authorities.
- In paragraph 3 of Article 2191 of the New Civil Code, proprietors are liable for the falling of trees situated at or near highways or lanes, if the same is not caused by force majeure. Note, however, that if it is the tree contemplated under Article 483 which falls and causes damage to another, the owner thereof shall be deemed liable even if the reason for the fall be fortuitous event, such as typhoon or earthquake, because in this case the owner is already negligent for failing to take the necessary measures to insure public safety.