How does joint tenancy with right of survivorship work in Rhode Island?

In Rhode Island, a conveyance to two or more people, including a husband and wife, creates a tenancy in common unless it declares the tenancy to be joint, runs to them and the survivor of them, or plainly shows they are to take as joint tenants. The presumption applies to spouses too, so a deed to a married couple is a tenancy in common unless it says otherwise. A husband or wife may convey land to himself or herself and the other spouse as tenants by the entirety, and spouses or any two or more people may convey real estate to themselves under any co-tenancy the law allows. The words in the deed decide which kind of ownership was created, so read the deed itself. This is R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 34-3-1, 34-11-3.

WhatRhode Island
A deed to two or more peopleTenancy in common unless the deed says otherwise
What it meansTenancy in common unless the deed declares survivorship

Source

R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 34-3-1, 34-11-3

Read the statute in the Rhode Island General Laws (Rhode Island General Assembly): webserver.rilegislature.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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