Joint Tenant with Right of Survivorship – JT TEN or JTWROS All tenants have an undivided interest in the shares. If one tenant dies, the shares become the property of the surviving tenant. Examples: John Anybody and Mary Anybody JT TEN.
By jointly owning property, you may find yourself party to a lawsuit if your co-owner is sued or the asset could be lost to a creditor of your co-owner. If your co-owner becomes incapacitated, you could find yourself “owning” the property with the co-owner's guardian or the courts.
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.
Most states regard JT TEN as the equivalent of JTWROS, and do not interpret the “TEN” in JT TEN to mean “tenants in common,” which is also called “tenancy by the entirety.” Some states, however, do interpret it to mean “tenants in common.” That interpretation may lead to an asset being probated.
(3) “JT TEN” or “JT” means joint tenants with the right of survivorship and not as tenants in common. (4) “And” means tenants in common with each person entitled to an equal pro rata share. (5) “Or” means that each person listed on the account is entitled to all of the funds.
To what degree do their meanings differ? If you own or co-own assets, you should know the subtle distinction that some states make between them. JTWROS stands for Joint Tenancy with Right of Survivorship. JT TEN stands for Joint Tenants with Right of Survivorship.
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.
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.