Joint tenancy

Joint tenants each own an undivided interest in the whole property, with a right of survivorship. When one dies, the others simply absorb his share, and nothing passes through his estate.

That is the key difference from a tenancy in common, where a dead owner's share goes to his heirs or under his will. If a deed did not clearly create a joint tenancy, courts usually treated co-owners as tenants in common. Many states also recognized a similar form for married couples, tenancy by the entirety.