An increase or addition to property is known as which term?

• A. Annexation
• B. Appurtenance
• C. Accession
• D. Addition

Answer: (C)

Accession is the legal idea that ownership increases when property gains additional land or improvements through natural processes or deliberate additions. It covers natural accretion, like soil that gradually deposits and enlarges land, and artificial accretions, such as permanent improvements or fixtures that become part of the real property. This concept explains why the added land or improvements belong to the property owner as part of the whole property, unless there's a separate agreement. Annexation, appurtenance, and a generic addition describe different notions—annexation is about attaching or incorporating something to belong to the property or jurisdiction, appurtenance refers to rights that run with the land, and addition is not a formal legal term in this context. So the term that fits the idea of an increase or addition to property is accession.