Joint Tenancy Definition With Real Estate In Pennsylvania

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US-00414BG
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Description

Co ownership of real property can be in the following forms:



" Tenancy in common, in which the interest of each owner may be transferred or inherited;


" Joint tenancy, in which the tenants each have a right of survivorship;


" Tenants by the entirety, in which a husband and wife own property and have a right of survivorship; or


" Community property, which applies in some States to property acquired during the period of a marriage.


The phrase joint tenancy refers to a method of ownership by which one person mutually holds legal title to property with other persons in such a way that when one of the joint owners dies his share automatically passes to the surviving joint owners by operation of law.


Traditionally, when two or more people own real property together, they hold it as tenants in common. Owning real property as joint tenants with full rights of survivorship has, in the past, been usually been limited to married couples or other close kinship. However, there is no reason that single unmarried people cannot own property in a joint tenancy arrangement.

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  • Preview Agreement by Unmarried Individuals to Purchase and Hold Residence as Joint Tenants
  • Preview Agreement by Unmarried Individuals to Purchase and Hold Residence as Joint Tenants
  • Preview Agreement by Unmarried Individuals to Purchase and Hold Residence as Joint Tenants

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FAQ

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.

Section 9108 - Joint tenancy (a) When any property is held in the names of two or more persons or is deposited in a financial institution in the names of two or more persons so that, upon the death of one of them, the survivor or survivors have a right to the immediate ownership or possession and enjoyment of the whole ...

To sum up: Joint tenants must receive their property interest simultaneously and from the same source with an equal share and equal rights to possess the entire property. By contrast, tenants in common can receive their interest at different times and from disparate legal sources and don't have to possess equal shares.

Can One Owner Sell a Jointly Owned Property? Generally, one co-owner cannot sell the entire property without the consent of the others. However, in a tenancy in common, a party may sell their interest without seeking consent from the others.

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!

Right of Survivorship: One of the primary advantages of joint tenancy is the right of survivorship. When one co-owner passes away, their share automatically transfers to the remaining co-owners, avoiding the probate process.

Can One Owner Sell a Jointly Owned Property? Generally, one co-owner cannot sell the entire property without the consent of the others. However, in a tenancy in common, a party may sell their interest without seeking consent from the others.

Pennsylvania is not a community property state; it is an “equitable distribution” state. This is a significant distinction because if you and your former spouse cannot reach an agreement, the court may make a decision for you and not in an expected way.

Most married couples hold title to property in both names as tenants by the entirety. Each party has a full ownership interest in the property. The property will pass instantly to the surviving spouse upon the death of the other spouse without probate.

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Joint Tenancy Definition With Real Estate In Pennsylvania