Text of the provision
Art. 551. Improvements caused by nature or time shall always inure to the benefit of the person who has succeeded in recovering possession.
(456)
Civil Code of the Philippines, Republic Act No. 386, approved June 18, 1949, effective August 30, 1950. Reproduced in full. The LawPhil and ChanRobles renderings differ here by a single word; the text above is the reading carried by two of the three sources, confirmed against the Official Gazette.
What this article means
Improvements that arise on their own — through natural processes or the mere passage of time, rather than anyone's work or spending — always belong to whoever succeeds in recovering possession. Nobody is reimbursed for them, because nobody paid for them.
Questions about this provision
Related provisions
- Article 522 — Trade-marks and Trade-names Follow Special Laws.
- Article 561 — Recovered Possession Counts as Unbroken.
Cases interpreting this article
- Authorities on this article will be added here as each is verified against primary sources.
Note. The text of the provision above is reproduced in full from the official enactment (Republic Act No. 386), verified against the LawPhil and ChanRobles renderings. The annotation and commentary around it are the work of Vivas & Nobles Law Office and are general legal information, not legal advice. How a provision applies to a particular situation depends on facts that only a lawyer reviewing your case can assess.