Joint Tenancy
(redirected from joint tenant)Also found in: Dictionary, Legal, Acronyms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
Joint Tenancy
joint tenancy
A short version of the term “joint tenants with right of survivorship.”A method of taking title to real property;commonly used by husbands and wives,or by others,as an estate planning tool.The parties each own a fractional share and,at the same time,own the whole of the property.If a joint tenant dies,the others do not inherit that tenant's share,but simply see the removal of an obstacle in the way of taking everything.This is a subtle point,but it is the heart of the estate planning tool—no one inherits anything as a result of the death of the other joint tenant(s).As a result, the property does not pass through probate and cannot be used to satisfy claims against the estate of the decedent. However,
• The property may be includable in one owner's estate for purposes of calculating estate taxes. The rules are different depending on whether the parties were married or not.
• A joint tenancy may be destroyed if one owner transfers his or her interest to a third party. If that happens, the new owner becomes a tenant in common, not a joint tenant. If there were originally more than two joint tenants, the remaining ones may still be joint tenants as to each other's interest.