A. Sums remaining on deposit at the death of a party to a joint account belong to the surviving party as against the estate of the decedent unless there is clear and convincing evidence of a different intention at the time the account is created.
Having someone on the deed as a joint owner with rights of survivorship will avoid probate. Upon the death of one owner, title automatically goes to the surviving joint owner or owners. But all joint owners have equal rights in the property.
In Joint Tenancy in Virginia, all owners must control equal shares of the property. This is as opposed to Tenants in Common, where two people may own 50% each, or four people own 25% each, or some other portion of the whole. In Tenancy by the Entirety, each married spouse owns 100% of the property.
Joint Tenancy Has Some Disadvantages They include: Control Issues. Since every owner has a co-equal share of the asset, any decision must be mutual. You might not be able to sell or mortgage a home if your co-owner does not agree.
When any joint tenant dies, before or after the vesting of the estate, whether the estate is real or personal, or whether partition could have been compelled or not, his part shall descend to his heirs, pass by devise, or go to his personal representative, subject to debts or distribution, as if he had been a tenant in ...
The Living Together section of Nolo also discusses various forms of contracts for unmarried people who want to share ownership of property. Also, because your shared home represents a major economic investment, you should hire a lawyer to help you prepare an agreement that meets your needs.
In community property states (such as Arizona, California, Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin), property acquired during the marriage is generally considered community property and is owned equally by both spouses.
To create a joint tenancy with the right of survivorship, all you need to do is put the right words on the title document, such as a deed to real estate, a car's title slip, or the signature card establishing a bank account.
A deed of gift must be signed by all parties, notarized by a Virginia notary, and witnessed by two or more parties who have no ownership interest in the property. The deed must be submitted to the recorder's office in the county of Virginia where the property exists.