What are the four unities required for a joint tenancy?

• A. Time, title, interest, and possession.
• B. Time, possession, interest, and rent.
• C. Time, title, possession, and rent.
• D. Possession, title, interest, and use.

Answer: (B)

The key idea is that creating a joint tenancy requires four unities: time, title, interest, and possession. Time means all tenants take title at the same time. Title means they acquire their interests by the same instrument. Interest means they hold identical shares. Possession means each has an equal right to possess the whole property. If any of these unities is missing, the joint tenancy isn’t formed and the arrangement typically becomes a tenancy in common instead.

Rent is not a unity. You can have co-owners who rent out their interest or charge rent, but rent does not affect the formation of a joint tenancy. The four unities themselves are time, title, interest, and possession.