The Perils of Joint Property

People often set up bank accounts or real estate so that they own it jointly with a spouse or other family member.

The appeal of joint tenancy is that when one owner dies, the other will automatically inherit the property without it having to go through probate.

Joint property can be easy to setup since it can be done at the bank when opening an account or at the closing when buying real estate.

But joint ownership can also cause unintended consequences and complications. And it’s worth considering some of these, before deciding that joint ownership is the best way to pass on assets to your family.

Here are some common problems that can arise with joint ownership:

The other owner’s debts become your problem

Any debt or obligation incurred by the other owner could affect you.

If the joint owner files bankruptcy, has a tax lien or has a judgment against them, it could cause you to end up with your old co-owner’s creditors as a new co-owner.

For example, if you add your adult child to the deed on your home, and he has debt you don’t know about, your property could be seized to collect that debt.

Although “your” equity of the property won’t necessarily be taken, that’s little relief when the house you live in is put up on the auction block.

Your property could end up belonging to someone you don’t intend

Some of the most difficult situations come from blended families.

If you own your property jointly with your spouse and you die, your spouse gets the property.

On the surface, that may seem like what you intended, but what if your surviving spouse remarries? Your home could become shared with your spouse and her second spouse.

And this gets especially complicated if there are children involved: Your property could conceivably go to children of the second marriage, rather than to your own.

You could accidentally disinherit family members

If you designate someone as a joint owner and you die, you can’t control what she does with your property after your death.

Perhaps you and an adult child co-owned a business. You may state in your will that the business should be equally shared with your spouse or divided between all of your kids; however, ownership goes to the survivor – regardless of what you put in your will.

You could have difficulty selling or refinancing your home.

All joint owners must sign off on a property sale. Depending on whether the other joint owners agree, you could end up at a standstill from the sales perspective.

That is unless you’re willing to take the joint owner to court to force a sale of the property. (No one wants to sue their family members, not to mention the cost of the lawsuit.)

And what if your co-owner somehow becomes incapacitated, through accident or illness?

In that case, you may have to petition a court to appoint a guardian or conservator to represent the co-owner’s interest in the sale.

While you and your co-owner always worked together, an appointed guardian may see his responsibility as protecting the other owner’s interest–which might mean going against you.

You might trigger unnecessary capital gains taxes

When you sell a home for more than you paid for it, you usually pay capital gains taxes–based on the increase in value. Therefore, if you make an adult child a co-owner of your property, and you sell the property, you’re both responsible for the taxes.

Your adult child may not be able to afford a tax bill based on decades of appreciation.

On the other hand, heirs only pay capital gains taxes based on the increase in value from when they inherited the asset, not from the day you first acquired it.

So often, while people worry about estate taxes, in this case–inheriting a property (rather than jointly owning it) could save your heirs a fortune in income tax.

You could cause your unmarried partner to have to pay a gift tax

If you buy property and place it in joint tenancy with an unmarried partner, the IRS will consider that to be a taxable gift to your partner. This can create needless paperwork and taxes.

So what can you do?

These decisions are too important and complex to be left to chance. Consult an attorney that specializes in estate planning. A good lawyer will listen to your concerns and help you develop a plan that gives you peace of mind while achieving all of your goals you have for your family.

Also, an estate planning attorney can assist you in planning to reduce estate taxes, avoid potential legal pitfalls, and set up a trust to protect your loved ones.  They also understand not only the legal issues but the complex layers of relationships involved in estate planning.