Which characteristic describes tenancy in common?

Which characteristic describes tenancy in common?

• A. Shares may be unequal; no right of survivorship.
• B. Shares must be equal and there is right of survivorship.
• C. Ownership for life only.
• D. Must be related by blood.

Answer: (A)

Tenancy in common means each owner has a separate, transferable interest in the property, and those interests can be unequal. A key feature is that there is no right of survivorship—when one owner dies, their share goes to their heirs or as directed by their will, not to the other co-owners. This contrasts with joint tenancy, where interests are usually equal and a survivor automatically inherits the deceased’s share. Life estate describes ownership for a lifetime, not a shared ownership arrangement, and being related by blood isn’t a requirement for tenancy in common.

Tenancy in common means each owner has a separate, transferable interest in the property, and those interests can be unequal. A key feature is that there is no right of survivorship—when one owner dies, their share goes to their heirs or as directed by their will, not to the other co-owners. This contrasts with joint tenancy, where interests are usually equal and a survivor automatically inherits the deceased’s share. Life estate describes ownership for a lifetime, not a shared ownership arrangement, and being related by blood isn’t a requirement for tenancy in common.