Final answer:
In land surveys, an unintentional space between properties is called adverse possession. It refers to the concept where someone can gain legal ownership of a piece of land by using and occupying it without the owner's permission.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the context of land surveys, a place where there is an unintentional space between properties is known as an "adverse possession." Adverse possession refers to the legal concept where, under certain circumstances, a person who occupies and uses land without the permission of the owner may eventually gain legal ownership of that land. This can happen when there are irregular property boundaries or unclear land ownership records.
For example, in the metes and bounds system described in the question, it was common for property lines to be demarcated by moveable objects like trees or streams. Over time, if an unintentional space was left between properties due to unclear or disputed boundary markers, someone could potentially claim that land through adverse possession if they openly use and occupy the land for a specified period of time, usually several years.
Adverse possession laws vary by jurisdiction, but they generally require the occupant to demonstrate continuous, exclusive, open, and notorious use of the land, without the owner's permission.