In property law, tenants in common are co-owners of real property that are regarded by the law as each owning separate and distinct shares which may differ in size. Upon death the share of a tenant in common does not pass directly to the survivor or survivors but is instead passed through inheritance. Each tenant in common has unrestricted rights of access to the property. Each tenant can petition for and secure a partition of the property at any time. This form of ownership is common where the co-owners are not married or have contributed different amounts to the acquisition of the property.
