There is little chance a live-in assistant could ever claim ownership through squatters' rights or adverse possession.

Q: An elderly friend of mine has been recovering from knee surgery. He hired a live-in assistant and was paying her a weekly amount to help him around the house. He has no need for her now and told her that he will stop paying in two weeks. She does not have her own home and asked if she could stay in his house. Is there any risk that she could claim ownership of his home through squatters' rights? Does he need to do something to make sure that doesn’t occur?

A: There is virtually no chance the live-in assistant could ever claim ownership of your friend's home through squatters' rights or adverse possession.

The bigger risk is that she might steal something from the house, or worse, go through his records and find account........

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