This study addresses a type of contemporary conflict that is very common in the city of Rio de Janeiro and in Brazil: informal housing. The problem will be addressed from the conflict surrounding informal housing in the Botanical Garden of Rio de Janeiro, the object of study of the dissertation. The case involves a complex set of actors: the State, informal residents, property owners, and a large communication corporation. By studying the problem of informal housing in the Botanical Garden, it was possible to observe the lack of preoccupation by the public authorities in not allowing invasions to occur, thus depredating a public asset such as the Botanical Garden and the Horto Florestal in regards to its plots and environmental reserves. But the conflict also has a peculiarity: an authorization by the institution s manager for the construction of real estate for his employees. As the research shows, the conflict over housing is built around two distinct logics: ancestry and property. With time and without any further employment ties with the institution in question, conflicts have emerged over the legitimacy of the assignment of the right of use of the property, or over which improvements could be compensated, over the parameters of this compensation, or even over what would be a decent place for resettlement for this community. Finally, the study allowed us to understand the limits of the law in resolving this type of conflict and theneed for a mediation process that recognizes the legitimacy of the positions present in the conflict and manages to produce an inclusive and effective solution.