<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><head><META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=us-ascii"><meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)"><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Book Antiqua";
panose-1:2 4 6 2 5 3 5 3 3 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Garamond;
panose-1:2 2 4 4 3 3 1 1 8 3;}
@font-face
{font-family:Webdings;
panose-1:5 3 1 2 1 5 9 6 7 3;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Arial Narrow";
panose-1:2 11 6 6 2 2 2 3 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal;
font-family:"Garamond",serif;
color:windowtext;
font-weight:normal;
font-style:normal;}
span.EmailStyle18
{mso-style-type:personal-reply;
font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;
color:#1F497D;
font-weight:normal;
font-style:normal;
text-decoration:none none;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-size:10.0pt;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;color:#1F497D'>The presumption for joint tenancy is that all parties (of any number of individuals) have undivided equal interests in the property. As each joint tenant dies, the remaining survivors take equal shares. The last survivor takes all.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;color:#1F497D'>A change or transfer of one or more joint tenant’s interest “breaks” the joint tenancy and essentially converts it to a tenancy in common.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;color:#1F497D'>The inclusion of “as husband and wife” would indicate a confirmation of the community property character of the property.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;color:#1F497D'>I don’t think that you can create a joint tenancy between two marital communities. After the first individual dies, that would result in unequal shares held between the individuals.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;color:#1F497D'>Tara M. Roberts<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;color:#1F497D'>Puget Sound Law PLLC<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;color:#1F497D'>roberts@pugetsoundlaw.com<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=X-NONE style='font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif'>******************************<br>The information contained in this email is intended as a collegial exchange of ideas, may be incorrect, and is made without warranty of accuracy of any kind. The ideas and opinions expressed in this message are offered as unresearched thoughts, may be retracted or changed without notice, and do not create any attorney-client relationship. They should not be relied upon as applicable to any particular fact situation. Thank you.<br>******************************</span><span style='font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;color:#1F497D'><br><br></span><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b>From:</b> wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com [mailto:wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Lisa Schuchman<br><b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, April 29, 2015 1:06 PM<br><b>To:</b> WSBA Probate & Trust Listserv<br><b>Subject:</b> [WSBAPT] Title question<o:p></o:p></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Garamond",serif'>My clients, a married couple, took title to property with their daughter and her husband. Here is how the deed describes the grantees:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Garamond",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Garamond",serif'>“Jane Doe and John Doe, wife and husband, and Alice Smith and Bob Smith, wife and husband, as joint tenants with right of survivorship.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Garamond",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Garamond",serif'>Do we think this is two joint tenants (two couples) or four (four individuals)? If four, how can we describe it so it is two?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Garamond",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Garamond",serif'>Thanks.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Garamond",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Garamond",serif;color:black'>Lisa E. Schuchman<br>206-325-2801<br><a href="http://www.lisaschuchman.com/" target="_blank">www.lisaschuchman.com</a><br><br>I prefer an excess of caricature to an excess of censorship. -Nicolas Sarkozy<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Garamond",serif;color:black'> </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Garamond",serif;color:black'>NOTE: I do not use encrypted email. Messages sent to or from my office via email are not secure and may not be protected by attorney-client privilege. This email address is not monitored at all times. If your matter is urgent, please phone my office during regular business hours. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Garamond",serif;color:black'>Any tax advice included in this document and its attachments was not intended or written to be used, and it cannot be used, for the purpose of avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code.</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:24.0pt;font-family:Webdings;color:green'>P</span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial Narrow",sans-serif;color:green'> </span><b><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#008100'>Please consider the trees before printing this document</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>