tenencia

Tenencia is a Spanish noun meaning possession, custody, or holding. The term is used in everyday language as well as in legal and administrative contexts to describe the state of having control over a thing, without necessarily owning it. Its exact meaning can vary by country and legal tradition.

In legal contexts, tenencia often denotes possession or the act of holding a thing by someone who does not hold full ownership. This distinguishes possession from propiedad (ownership). A person with tenencia may have duties to take care of the object and to respect the rights of the owner, while their rights to the thing may be limited or temporary.

In property and land law, tenencia can refer to various forms of land tenure or usufruct—arrangements that grant a person the right to use or enjoy land or resources without outright ownership. These arrangements establish practical rights and obligations tied to use, transfer, or hereditary succession, and they can coexist with or differ from formal ownership.

In some Spanish-speaking countries there is also the term tenencia used for a specific fiscal or administrative concept, notably a vehicle tax historically known as impuesto sobre tenencia in Mexico. The tax has varied by jurisdiction and over time; several states have eliminated or restructured it, while others continue to regulate it in different forms.

Overall, tenencia covers multiple related ideas centered on possession and use rather than outright ownership, with nuances that depend on local legal systems and historical practices.