Legal Definitions - mediate possession

Definition: Mediate possession is the possession of something through someone else, such as an agent. In every instance of mediate possession, there is a direct possessor (such as an agent) as well as a mediate possessor (the principal).

Examples:

• If a person sends their servant to buy a book for them, they acquire mediate possession of it through the servant, until the servant has brought it to them, when their possession becomes immediate.
• A landlord who hires a property manager to manage their rental property has mediate possession of the property through the property manager.

These examples illustrate how mediate possession involves possession through someone else, rather than direct possession.