Joint Tenancy Definition With Spouse In Phoenix
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In Arizona, property law is governed by ARS Title 33. Joint tenancy with right of survivorship is covered in ARS 33-431. When real property is owned by multiple people, property law refers to it as a concurrent estate.
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.
The key difference is in post-mortem property sale taxation. Joint tenancy triggers capital gains tax on property sales after a spouse's death. CPWROS exempts it. Additionally, joint tenancy is open to anyone, while community property is usually for married couples.
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 tenants in common are usually referred to as JTIC, and it usually refers to property owned where rights of survivorship do not apply. It means that each individual owns a specific part of the property, and upon their passing, the other individuals will not have a right of survivorship to that specific portion.
A joint tenancy is severed by (a) mortgage or creation of a deed of trust, (b) transfer to a revocable or irrevocable trust, (c) contract to convey the property, or (d) destruction of one or more of the four unities; and the result is the failure of the right of survivorship. In re the Estate of Estelle, 122 Ariz.
In Arizona, tenancy in common is the default classification for married couples seeking joint ownership. The property can be divided evenly, or the owners can control differing shares if needs be (e.g. two business partners own 25% each, and the third owns 50%).
