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Joint Tenancy? How Should I Title My Property in My Estate Plan?

September 19, 2019
David Parker, Esq.
Congress has a new long-term care insurance bill
David Parker, White Plains and New City NY Estate Planning Attorney
David Parker, Esq.
David Parker is an attorney who specializes in Estate Planning and Elder Law and has been practicing law for 30 years. Be it Wills, Trusts, Powers of Attorney, Health Care Proxies, or Medicaid Planning, David provides comprehensive and caring counsel for seniors and their families. A large portion of David’s practice is asset protection strategies so that families do not lose their hard earned savings to nursing home care costs. He also handles probate administration for the settlement of estates.
The form of ownership is a key factor in structuring an estate plan. This is true primarily because the form of ownership governs the transferability of the interests.

Pauls Valley Democrat’s recent article, “Considerations in how to title your property,” says that there are several types of “automatic” transfer of property methods that don’t require probate such as joint tenancy.

The first is Joint Tenancy with Right of Survivorship. This form of ownership passes title to the survivor immediately upon death and avoids probate. The transfer to the survivor happens automatically at the death of one of the joint owners.

To complete the transfer, one must confirm the death in the county records and effectively give notice that one joint tenant has died, and that the ownership is now in the survivor(s) name. This is usually accomplished, by having the survivor complete an Affidavit of Surviving Joint Tenant. The affidavit affirms the death of one party (in many cases a spouse), and the survivorship to title of the other party. This affidavit and a certified copy of the death certificate are filed with the county.

The survivor now owns the property as an individual. He or she can now sell or deed the property to others, including children, without a probate action to clear the title.

Next is Tenancy in Common. Ownership as a tenant in common gives an undivided interest in the whole property (like a third), which stands on its own and can be bought and sold. Tenancy in Common is used when two or more people want to keep their title separate from the other at death. Therefore, an undivided one-half owner has the right to use the entire property, including the right to benefit from one-half of the rent, lease or crop share. However, if several people own an undivided interest, control, usage and management can become complicated.

If, for some reason, a husband and wife own their property as tenants in common, and one spouse dies, his undivided interest remains as a part of his estate. In that case, his estate must be probated to provide a clear transfer of title to the surviving spouse or to other heirs.

It’s an added expense for the survivor that can be avoided, if another form of ownership is used.

Thinking through these factors is a critical component of successful estate planning. Plan in advance with the help of a seasoned estate planning attorney. Don’t create bigger problems for yourself or your heirs, by trying to avoid upfront costs.

Reference: Pauls Valley (OK) Democrat (August 21, 2019) “Considerations in how to title your property”

 

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