My wife has her farmland(rice) for rent to some people,and hs been like that for 20 + years. Q: Can they(the farmers) claim ownership of the land just because they "look after" the land for many years? Its red chanote title.

1 minute ago, sanook 1 said:

My wife has her farmland(rice) for rent to some people,and hs been like that for 20 + years. Q: Can they(the farmers) claim ownership of the land just because they "look after" the land for many years? Its red chanote title.

Without knowing the legality of, I'm going to guess NO.  As the land was being 'used' as rental income, with owner known, and 'contract', verbal or written, agreed upon.  

If they are paying to use the land, then probably not.

I heard many years ago that if you allowed people to cross your land for 10 years or more than you could not close it off later. A "right to way" was established.

 

N.B. I am not a lawyer.

Prescriptive acquisition under Thai law is the process by which a person gains ownership or other real rights over property through long and uninterrupted possession. This concept is set out in the Thai Civil and Commercial Code (CCC), especially sections 1382 to 1385.

 

The delay depends on the type of title deed. I read something from the Canadian lawyer at ThaiLaw Online. It was well explained. 

On 9/16/2025 at 3:08 PM, Purdey said:

If they are paying to use the land, then probably not.

I heard many years ago that if you allowed people to cross your land for 10 years or more than you could not close it off later. A "right to way" was established.

 

N.B. I am not a lawyer.

There is no written agreement and they are not paying rent. The verbally deal is they share the rice harvest 50/50 and has been so for many years.

I would think that sharing the harvest would be tantamount to paying rent.

 

But, since land disputes here can become terminal, I would suggest discussions with a real-estate lawyer and have a proper agreement drawn up.