How does joint tenancy with right of survivorship work in Missouri?

In Missouri, a deed to two or more people creates a tenancy in common unless it expressly declares a joint tenancy, except for grants to executors, trustees or a husband and wife. The tenancy-in-common rule does not apply to grants to a husband and wife. An owner, including a married person, can deed real estate to themself and another person, and the deed has the same effect, as to whether it creates a joint tenancy, a tenancy by the entireties or a tenancy in common, as a deed from a stranger to the same grantees. The words in the deed decide which kind of ownership was created, so read the deed itself. This is Mo. Rev. Stat. §§ 442.450, 442.025.

WhatMissouri
A deed to two or more peopleTenancy in common unless the deed says joint tenancy
What it meansTenancy in common unless the deed declares survivorship

Source

Mo. Rev. Stat. §§ 442.450, 442.025

Read the statute in the Missouri Revised Statutes (Missouri Revisor of Statutes): revisor.mo.gov.

Checked against the statute on November 13, 2026.

This is a summary of a published statute, not legal advice. Rules change, local ordinances can add to them, and the terms of a specific lease may differ. Check the citation and speak to a lawyer before acting.

How Seayora uses this rule

An owner on Seayora keeps each property’s owners of record, its entity and its documents in one place, so who holds title and how is on file beside the leases and the books.

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