Definition of "Joint tenancy"

A type of property coownership of two or more individuals to whom real property is deeded and who together have an undivided interest in it as a whole. There is only one title to the whole property. Upon the death of a joint tenant, that person's interest does not descend to his or her heirs or pass by will. Rather, the entire ownership remains in the surviving joint tenant(s). In other word, there is simply one less owner. A joint tenant can be in exclusive possession of the property or he or she can lease his or her interest to a third party without affecting the nature of the joint tenancy. Such lease will terminate upon the death of the lessor joint tenant, with the surviving joint tenants taking the interest thereon. generally, if a joint tenant dies, the survivors(s) obtain the property, also called joint tenancy with right of survivorship. For example, John and Victor are the joint tenants of a building. Each own one half of the whole building. Upon John's death, Victor will own the whole property, and vice versa.

image of a real estate dictionary page

Have a question or comment?

We're here to help.

*** Your email address will remain confidential.
 

 

Popular Real Estate Terms

Right to property depends on some occurrence. ...

Easement with the objective of keeping scenic beauty or to forbid constructing something else blocking that view. The property is retained in its natural setting. ...

Correcting depreciation by making improvements at less cost than the value added. For example, the management of an aging strip shopping center makes a decision to refurbish the windows and ...

Representative house, apartment, or cooperative used as a sales tool to show how the actual unit bought will probably appear in design and construction. An example is a model apartment. ...

Property owned and held jointly and equally shared by each spouse. It is purchased during their marriage, regardless of the wage-earning situation of either spouse. A spouse may not make a ...

When you sign a Listing Agreement with a real estate broker or agent, he or she has a fiduciary responsibility to represent your interests exclusively. However, should another client ...

Two or more people have a legal duty that can be enforced against them by joint action, against all members, and against themselves as individuals. For example, a bank can require repayment ...

Property highly leveraged. An example is when a landlord buys an apartment house paying minimum cash payment down and the balance on mortgage. ...

Early American style 1 story house with a steep gable roof covered with shingles. The bedrooms are on the first floor, but the attic is often finished and made into additional bedrooms. ...

Popular Real Estate Questions