https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/adverse_possession
Think of it as inchoate ownership which becomes choaTe.
inchoate in·cho·ate inˈkō-it,-āt/ adjective
just begun and so not fully formed or developed; rudimentary.
"a still inchoate democracy"
synonyms: rudimentary, undeveloped, unformed, immature, incipient, embryonic; beginning, fledgling, developing
"their government should not interfere in the inchoate market forces"
Law (of an offense, such as incitement or conspiracy) anticipating a further criminal act.
A mnemonic may help with remembering;
the decisional and statutory elements of adverse possession:
ccontinuous
hhostile
oopen
aactual
TTime
eexclusive
Statutory piece is indicated in uppercase.
Decisional pieces are indicated in lowercase.
Adverse possession is a doctrine under which a person in possession of land owned by someone else may acquire valid title to it, so long as certain common law requirements are met, and the adverse possessor is in possession for a sufficient period of time, as defined by a statute of limitations.
The statute of limitations.
A typical statute will require possession for 7 years, if under color of title, or 20 years, if not.
A person has "color of title" to a piece of property when, for one reason or another, the document evidencing title (a deed, for example) is invalid.
The common law requirements have evolved over time, and the articulation of those requirements varies somewhat from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Typically, adverse possession, in order to ripen into title, must be:
(1) Continuous; this means continual.
(2) Hostile to the interests of the true owner; this is the adverse part of adverse possession.
(3) Open and notorious, so as to put the true owner on notice that a trespasser is in possession.
(4) Actual, so that the true owner has a cause of action for trespass, on which the true owner must act within the statute of limitations.
(5) Exclusive, in order that there be no confusion as to who acquires title once the time has run.
http://www.wikihow.com/Squat-in-Abandoned-Property
Basic utilities like water, electricity, and gas cannot be denied to you. If utility providers seem reluctant to turn on utilities, remind them that they are not allowed to deny you these basic utilities.
A utility bill, or even just mail, with the address and your name on it may be sufficient enough to prevent police from entering the property.