North Carolina recognizes joint tenancy with right of survivorship as a common form of joint ownership for non-spouses.
Joint Tenancy with Right of Survivorship (JTWROS)
Joint tenancy is a relatively common type of property ownership. It has a lot of potential advantages. Indeed, most married couples who own a home in Union County, North Carolina own their property with a joint tenancy with a right of survivorship.
In North Carolina the Division of Motor Vehicles allows you to include the initials JTWROS (Joint Tenants with Right of Survivorship) on your title following the names of both owners. This clarifies that ownership transfers 100% to the surviving partner on a joint title, avoiding a long process with probate.
For example, if two unmarried partners make equal contributions toward purchasing a inium and they choose to hold title as joint tenants, the surviving joint tenant will automatically become the sole and separate owner of the inium after the first joint tenant dies.
Further tenancy in common allows parties to hold unequal shares of property interest. Joint tenancy requires each co-owner to hold equal shares of property. Further, co-owners must transfer the deed at the same time. In this sense, joint tenancy is rigid compared to tenancy in common.
If multiple people hold title under tenancy in common, this means that each individual can choose to sell their ownership interests in the property at any time. Unlike with joint tenancy, a tenancy in common agreement allows for multiple owners to own different percentages of the entire property.
(a) The interests of joint tenants in a joint tenancy with right of survivorship shall be deemed to be equal unless otherwise provided in the instrument of conveyance.
If you are making the application to sever the joint tenancy without the other owner then you will need to complete a SEV form and provide evidence that the other owner agrees to the severance, for example a written notice signed by the other owner.