{"id":3266,"date":"2023-09-18T07:21:38","date_gmt":"2023-09-18T11:21:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/?p=3266"},"modified":"2024-04-25T23:17:32","modified_gmt":"2024-04-26T03:17:32","slug":"dower-rights-for-surviving-spouses-does-your-state-still-have-this-old-english-relic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/dower-rights-for-surviving-spouses-does-your-state-still-have-this-old-english-relic\/","title":{"rendered":"Dower Rights for Surviving Spouses: Does Your State Still Have This Old English Relic?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"393\" src=\"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/dower-rights-for-surviving-spouses-1024x393.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3267\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/dower-rights-for-surviving-spouses-1024x393.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/dower-rights-for-surviving-spouses-300x115.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/dower-rights-for-surviving-spouses-768x295.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/dower-rights-for-surviving-spouses-1536x590.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/dower-rights-for-surviving-spouses-2048x786.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you live in Michigan, your state ended its <em>dower rights<\/em> in 2017. But if you live in <a href=\"https:\/\/casetext.com\/statute\/arkansas-code-of-1987\/title-18-property\/subtitle-2-real-property\/chapter-12-conveyances\/subchapter-4-husband-and-wife\/section-18-12-402-relinquishment-of-dower-or-curtesy-in-spouses-land\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Arkansas<\/a>, Kentucky, or <a href=\"https:\/\/codes.ohio.gov\/ohio-revised-code\/chapter-2103\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ohio<\/a>, dower is still on the books in your state. This musty old legal provision gives spouses a peculiar set of real estate protections. Kansas, too, has a \u201cdower-like\u201d provision in its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ksrevisor.org\/statutes\/chapters\/ch59\/059_005_0005.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">KSA 59-505<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you or your loved ones live in a dower rights state, what\u2019s different about your home\u2019s title?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Let\u2019s take a look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Fast Dower Facts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"359\" height=\"538\" src=\"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/fast-dower-facts.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3268\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/fast-dower-facts.jpg 359w, https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/fast-dower-facts-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 359px) 100vw, 359px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Originally intended to force a homeowner to support a widow after death, dower is an interest in real estate for a spouse who\u2019s not named on the title. Most states have replaced their dower laws with modern estate provisions. But the 19<sup>th<\/sup>-century spirit of dower rights still haunts home titles in Arkansas, Kansas, Ohio, and Kentucky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here\u2019s the backstory:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Our legal system drew heavily on English common law, which entitled widows to keep at least a third \u2014 sometimes a half \u2014 of their deceased husbands\u2019 real estate (including the value of whatever was produced on that land). U.S. states with dower have retained this old custom. It\u2019s a vestige of a legal system dating back to the Middle Ages!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Dower rights came into U.S. state laws in the early 1800s. In those days, women were dependents. They were legally prevented from holding deeds to real estate in their own names. The real purpose of the dower rights was to keep them from drawing on public assistance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Today, dower rights are largely abolished. A small minority of states, such as Kansas, still recognize <a href=\"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/yes-common-law-marriage-still-exists-this-year-colorado-included-same-sex-couples\/\">common-law marriage<\/a>, and have retained remnants of common-law spousal survivors\u2019 rights.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Living in a state with dower rights also grants you one-third ownership of your spouse\u2019s belongings!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Curtesy<\/em> was the husband\u2019s counterpart to dower for couples who were also parents. A surviving husband got the deceased wife\u2019s property and could only transfer it to their child. Today, families are more complicated, and U.S. law does not allow discrimination on the basis of sex. Therefore, most states have ended dower rights and those that kept it made it gender-neutral, to protect all spouses equally. So, a dower rights state assigns to <em>either<\/em> surviving spouse at least a third of the real estate that the couple owned during marriage. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Voiding or Avoiding Dower Rights<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Today\u2019s married couples usually want to decide where their property goes. Most don\u2019t want their states telling them who gets their assets after they die. But dower rights aren\u2019t so easy to get rid of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some people buy real estate using trusts or LLCs, which can avoid dower issues. But if a spouse is personally named on a real estate deed in a dower state, then dower automatically applies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dower rights stay in place for a spouse in a dower rights state, unless the spouse:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Dies. An individual\u2019s dower rights automatically end when they die. In other words, dower doesn\u2019t pass to the spouse\u2019s heirs. Dower is only a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/the-life-estate-deed\/\"><em>life estate<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Dissolves the marriage. When a marriage is over, so are both spouses\u2019 dower rights. Whew! (To add a little more nostalgia for the olden days into the story, Kentucky law and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/state\/ohio-law\/ohio-dower-rights.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ohio law<\/a> point to an act of adultery as grounds for cancelling a spouse\u2019s dower rights.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Signs a release. A spouse in a dower rights state who wants a different estate plan has to sign a release of their dower rights.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For example, under the Ohio dower statute, a spouse loses dower rights when divorcing or by signing a release deed stating that they relinquish their dower rights. Otherwise, the spouse gets a life estate in 1\/3 of the value of the real estate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A will doesn\u2019t trump dower rights. But what if a couple has signed a prenup waiving any claims to a specified property? Well, here\u2019s the rub. While prenups can prevent spouses from reaching each other\u2019s property in divorce cases, <em>a prenup does not extinguish dower rights<\/em>. So, in dower rights states, prenup or not, lenders might decline to issue loans on any transactions unless the spouse of the transferor waives their dower interest expressly. The deed must say the spouse releases the dower interest and include the spouse\u2019s signature to that effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u261b<\/em><strong><em>The ancient dower system is why you often see people\u2019s marital status after their names on deeds. But times are changing, and so are the terms\/language used in property deeds. Read more on Deeds.com about <\/em><\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/preferred-pronouns-in-real-estate-deeds\/\"><em>gender-neutral language on deeds<\/em><\/a><strong><em>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Transferring the Deed? Waive the Dower!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As you now know, spouses in dower states may not simply transfer their individually titled real estate without a release of dower. The spousal release ensures the recipient gets an asset\u2019s full value. Without the spousal signature, the deed transferor\u2019s spouse keeps their dower interest (as long as that spouse is alive and married to the transferor). This omission would give the recipient of the deed a defective title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Title companies handle this when a home is bought with a mortgage. In the sale of a home, or a business based on real estate such as a farm, the title company will have the spouse sign away the dower rights on the deed. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In dower states, spouses are asked to sign mortgages, too, to avert defective title transfers that could impact a loan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In practical terms, dower only turns into a legal issue if the non-transferring spouse wants to make it so. But the title agent\u2019s or lender\u2019s professional responsibility includes making sure the real estate asset has marketable title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Finer Points of Dower<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because dower rights are now off the books in most states, it might surprise readers to know that a few states entitle spouses to a share of real estate that they didn\u2019t buy. Need to know more about how this affects you and your property? To get case-specific advice, you need a lawyer. So, contact a lawyer with experience in wills and estates or family law in your state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now, one more important reason to see a professional \u2014 wherever you live. Dower is not the only estate planning concept couples need to know about. For example, some states have <a href=\"https:\/\/legislature.maine.gov\/statutes\/18-C\/title18-Csec2-202.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">elective share<\/a> statutes, enabling a surviving spouse to either take what the deceased person leaves in the will, or choose to take a third or a half of the estate\u2019s value, or a certain amount depending on the length of the marriage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And some states have community property laws that protect <a href=\"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/youre-married-youre-not-on-the-house-title-what-are-your-rights\/\">life partners who aren\u2019t on the house title<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You\u2019ll benefit from clarity on how to protect your particular interests or the interests of your life partner. Seek guidance from an attorney in your state. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Supporting References<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Tim O\u2019Sullivan for the <em>Kansas Bar Journal<\/em>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foulston.com\/uploads\/Beyond-Moribund---The-Case-for-Repeal-of-KSA-59-505.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Beyond Moribund \u2013 The Case for Repeal of KSA 59-505<\/a> (Jan. \u2013 Feb. 2023; uploaded as a portable document by <em>Foulston.com<\/em>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/answers.justia.com\/question\/2023\/06\/22\/is-dower-rights-still-a-thing-in-ohio-on-967569\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ask a Lawyer: Is Dower Rights Still a Thing in Ohio<\/a>? Nicholas P. Weiss Answers. (Jun. 22, 2023).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Miranda Crace for Rocket Mortgage, LLC, a subsidiary of Rocket Companies, Inc. (d\/b\/a Quicken Loans\u00ae): <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickenloans.com\/learn\/dower-rights\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Dower Rights: What You Need To Know<\/a> (Feb. 4, 2021).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><em>FindLaw.com<\/em> from Thomson Reuters: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/state\/ohio-law\/ohio-dower-rights.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ohio Dower Rights<\/a> (last reviewed Nov. 21, 2018).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">And as linked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-small-font-size\"><strong>More on topics: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/hows-your-property-vested-it-matters-as-much-as-your-will-or-trust\/\">How property is vested<\/a><strong>, <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/?s=Wills%2C+estates%2C+and+trusts\">Wills, estates, and trusts<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Photo credits: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/photo\/man-and-woman-sitting-on-couch-7330917\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">MART Production<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/photo\/woman-in-black-veil-holding-white-lilies-8865720\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">RDNE Stock Project<\/a>, via Pexels.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you live in Michigan, your state ended its dower rights in 2017. But if you live in Arkansas, Kentucky, or Ohio, dower is still on the books in your state. This musty old legal provision gives spouses a peculiar set of real estate protections. Kansas, too, has a \u201cdower-like\u201d provision in its KSA 59-505. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[105,66],"tags":[347,343,346,264,349,351,345,352,355,348,350,179,353,354,344],"class_list":["post-3266","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-title","category-vesting","tag-arkansas","tag-dower-rights","tag-english-common-law","tag-estate-planning","tag-kansas","tag-kentucky","tag-marital-rights","tag-michigan","tag-mortgages","tag-ohio","tag-property-deeds","tag-real-estate","tag-spousal-protection","tag-title-companies","tag-u-s-states"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Dower Rights for Surviving Spouses: Does Your State Still Have This Old English Relic? - Deeds.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Explore the historical roots and modern implications of dower rights in the U.S., and learn which states still uphold this ancient English legal provision.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/dower-rights-for-surviving-spouses-does-your-state-still-have-this-old-english-relic\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Dower Rights for Surviving Spouses: Does Your State Still Have This Old English Relic? 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