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

In Vermont, a conveyance of land to two or more people creates a tenancy in common unless the grant clause or the habendum clause says they take jointly, as joint tenants, in joint tenancy, or to them and the survivors of them. The requirement to name the tenancy does not apply to conveyances made in trust, to conveyances made to spouses, or where the instrument plainly shows a joint tenancy was intended. A joint tenancy may give the owners equal or unequal shares; shares are presumed equal unless the instrument says otherwise, and a deceased joint tenant’s interest is divided among the survivors in proportion to their shares. The words in the deed decide which kind of ownership was created, so read the deed itself. This is 27 V.S.A. § 2.

WhatVermont
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

27 V.S.A. § 2

Read the statute in the Vermont Statutes (Vermont General Assembly): legislature.vermont.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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