Mesne profits ( ) are sums of money paid for the occupation of land to a person with right of immediate occupation, where no permission has been given for that occupation. The concept is feudal in origin, and common in countries which rely on the English legal system (including many former British colonies).
A statute of limitations (usually six years) often limits the tenant-in-error's liability.
Calculating mesne profits is often regulated by statute, but may be litigated in a court of equity. Mesne profits may be calculated, even though there may be no point in doing so (as in the case where land was flooded by a dam, and the dam is not going to be removed). In the United States, laws regulating mesne profits have been the subject of Supreme Court decisions, such as Green v. Biddle, 21 U.S. 1 (1823).
See also
- Housing tenure