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.
(1) “TEN COM” means tenants in common. (2) “TEN ENT” means tenants by the entireties. (3) “JT TEN” or “JT” means joint tenants with the right of survivorship and not as tenants in common.
Joint Tenancy with Right of Survivorship (JTWROS)
In most cases, you'll enter what's called a joint tenants with right of survivorship agreement. Known by its acronym, JTWROS, this agreement spells out the legal rights of all owners of a property and outlines what happens if one of the owners dies or wants to sell the home.
Joint tenants (JT), or joint tenants with rights of survivorship (JTWROS), are the forms of ownership most commonly used by married couples. In general this means that both parties own 100% of the property and there is no divided interest as there is with TIC.
Under Georgia law, there are two types of joint ownership. The first, known as “Joint Ownership with Rights of Survivorship” means that two or more parties have simultaneous ownership of a property. When one of those parties dies, their share of the property passes to the surviving owner(s).
Joint tenancy is a form of property ownership that is important for several reasons, primarily due to its unique characteristics and advantages. There are several different types of joint tenancy.
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 ...
Since each tenant holds an “equal and undivided share” of the property, each tenant reports an equal share of any income and deductions on their tax returns, regardless of how much they originally contributed. When the property sells or when it transfers upon one owner's death, the full value transfers to the survivor.
The difference between a joint tenancy and tenancy in common is significant. Under a joint tenancy with rights to survivorship, upon the death of the first owner, it automatically passes to the surviving owner. In a tenancy in common situation, you each own 50% of the property.