Except as provided in sections 38-35-118 and 38-41-202 (4), a joint tenant may sever the joint tenancy between himself or herself and all remaining joint tenants by unilaterally executing and recording an instrument conveying his or her interest in real property to himself or herself as a tenant in common.
The key feature that distinguishes joint tenancy from other types of ownership rights is that the surviving joint tenant(s) acquires the shares held by another tenant upon their death.
If you want the title in Joint Tenancy with Rights of Survivorship, you will need a completed Department of Revenue form DR 2395 Joint Tenancy Form signed by all parties. You can find this DR2395 Form online at dmvlorado, or we can provide that Form to you.
Property in Colorado can only be owned be- tween two or more individuals in joint tenancy or as tenants in common. What if I Want to Add Someone as a Joint Owner on My Asset? Before you change the title or ownership of an asset, under- stand that any such change can cause significant legal and/ or tax consequences.
In the context of joint tenancy, typically four unities are required for its valid creation: Unity of Possession, Unity of Interest, Unity of Time, and Unity of Title, collectively referred to as the 'four unities' in property law. However, one example of a 'unity' that is not required is the Unity of Marriage.
Historically, the common law required that in order for a joint tenancy to be created, the co-owners must share the “four unities” of (1) time – the property interest must be acquired by both tenants at the same time; (2) title - both tenants must have the same title to the property in the deed; (3) interest - both ...
Joint tenancy is most common among married couples because it helps property owners avoid probate. Without joint tenancy, a spouse would have to wait for their partner's Last Will to go through a legal review process—which can take months or even years.
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.
Joint tenancy should be used with extreme caution. It can subject a co- owner to unnecessary taxes and liabili- ty for the other co-owner's debts. It can also deprive heirs of bequeathed prop- erty and, in California, leave the joint tenant without right of survivorship.