THE IMPERATIVE OF EXCLUSIVE POSSESSION IN EVALUATING THE CONCEPTS OF TENANCY AND LICENSE

Abstract

The  needs of man have been described to be  food, clothing and shelter.  In pursuance of the  third element shelter, comes land. Due to the unequal distribution of wealth, some live at the mercy of others who are able to acquire lands and build houses. This results in the landlord-Tenant relationship which has generated controversies from time immemorial evident from the cases the courts have had to resolve. While in adjudicating some, the parties are left to the dictates of statutory interpretation,  some  areleft  to  the  position  of  legal  theorists  to  determine  rights  and  liabilities.    This  work  analyzes  the concepts  of  Tenancy  and  License  within  the  context  of  exclusive  possession  associated  with  the  enjoyment  of  land.  The differences  and  similarities  will  beexamined,  taking  into  consideration  the  criticisms  and  how  the  courts  ascertain  the intention  of  the  parties  when  such  arises.  This  work  will  adopt  a  doctrinal  method  of  research  with  the  help  of  texts, decided cases,articles and online journals