Tenants In Common Vs Joint Tenancy With Right Of Survivorship In Maryland
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Understanding Tenants in Common Ownership Unlike joint tenancy with rights of survivorship, the portion owned can be sold, conveyed, or encumbered without the consent of the other owners. Each owner can even leave their share of the property to any beneficiary upon their death.
In joint tenancy, the deed of trust establishes equal rights for all co-owners and includes a right of survivorship. On the other hand, in tenancy in common, the deed of trust clarifies that each co-owner has separate shares of the property with no right of survivorship.
Tenants in common gives you more protections and you can specify in a deed of trust what you would want to happen in the event of relationship breakdown (eg if one of you has first dibs to buy the other out, or a time limit on doing so etc) which is definitely better to decide now whilst you still like each other!
Joint tenants have equal property ownership, share profits and liabilities, and often have a right of survivorship. Tenants in common can have unequal shares, lack a right of survivorship, and can pass their share to chosen beneficiaries.
Property held as joint tenants with right of survivorship or as Tenants by the Entireties will pass to the surviving joint owner. Property held as “payable on death” will pass to the designated beneficiaries.
Each spouse owns an undivided interest in the real property, and there is a right of survivorship. Maryland has a presumption that property held by a married couple is held as tenants by the entireties. The presumption applies to property acquired by the married couple.
Joint tenants also own an undivided interest in property. The main difference between joint tenants and tenants-in-common is that, upon the death of a joint tenant, that co-owner's interests are extinguished and the surviving co-owner(s) receive the property.
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.
No, Maryland is not a “community” property state. It is an “equitable distribution” state. Unlike “community” property, “equitable” does not mean “equal.” Equitable is defined as fair and just under the facts of the particular case.
Do transfer on death deeds work in Maryland? No, Maryland does not recognize transfer on death deeds. These types of deeds allow for property to transfer to a named recipient as soon as the property owner dies. The purpose of transfer on death deeds is to avoid probate.
