Washington County Affidavit of Surviving Joint Tenant Form
Last validated October 6, 2026 by our Forms Development TeamFormatted for recording in Washington County, for property anywhere in the county: rural and unincorporated areas as well as Ainsworth, Brighton, Crawfordsville, Kalona, Riverside, Washington, Wellman, West Chester.
- 3 documents included
- Immediate PDF download
- Formatting guarantee
Washington County Affidavit of Surviving Joint Tenant Form
Fill in the blank form formatted to comply with all recording and content requirements.
Washington County Affidavit of Surviving Joint Tenant Guide
Line by line guide explaining every blank on the form.
Washington County Completed Example of the Affidavit of Surviving Joint Tenant Document
Example of a properly completed form for reference.
All 3 documents above included • One-time purchase • No recurring fees
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Additional Iowa and Washington County documents included at no extra charge:
Where to Record Your Documents
Washington County Recorder
Washington, Iowa 52353
Hours: 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday - Friday
Phone: (319) 653-7727
Recording Tips for Washington County:
- Bring your driver's license or state-issued photo ID
- Ensure all signatures are in blue or black ink
- Check margin requirements - usually 1-2 inches at top
- Leave recording info boxes blank - the office fills these
- Make copies of your documents before recording - keep originals safe
Cities and Jurisdictions in Washington County
Properties in any of these areas use Washington County forms:
- Ainsworth
- Brighton
- Crawfordsville
- Kalona
- Riverside
- Washington
- Wellman
- West Chester
Hours, fees, requirements, and more for Washington County
How do I get my forms?
Forms are available for immediate download after payment. The Washington County forms will be in your account ready to download to your computer. An account is created for you during checkout if you don't have one. Forms are NOT emailed.
Are these forms guaranteed to be recordable in Washington County?
Yes. Our form blanks are guaranteed to meet or exceed the applicable formatting requirements used for recording in Washington County, including margin requirements, font requirements, and other layout standards. This guarantee applies to formatting, not to the legal sufficiency of information entered by the user or the suitability of a form for a particular transaction.
Can I reuse these forms?
Yes. You can reuse the forms for your personal use. For example, if you have multiple properties in Washington County you only need to order once.
What do I need to use these forms?
The forms are PDFs that you fill out on your computer. The free Adobe Acrobat Reader is recommended, and most PDF apps also work. You do NOT enter your property information online - you download the blank forms and complete them privately on your own computer.
Are there any recurring fees?
No. This is a one-time purchase. Nothing to cancel, no memberships, no recurring fees.
How much does it cost to record in Washington County?
Recording fees in Washington County vary. Contact the recorder's office at (319) 653-7727 for current fees.
Questions answered? Let's get started!
Transferring Title to Iowa Real Estate after a Joint Tenant Dies
Joint tenancy is a form of ownership where two or more people share title rights to a specific parcel of real property. If one joint tenant dies, his/her portion of property rights transfers to the remaining owners by function of law. If there are multiple surviving co-owners, they each receive an equal share of the rights. Property held in joint tenancy does not pass to the owners' estates in a will. Therefore, it avoids distribution via the probate process.
Iowa Code 558.66 (2013) governs the different requirements for completing the transfer of title rights under joint tenancy. Specifically, the living joint tenant may execute and record an affidavit of surviving joint tenant, which the recorder attaches to the previously recorded deed. An affidavit is a document containing statements, made under oath, which identify the person presenting the material (affiant); the name of the surviving co-owner (often the affiant); details about the deceased owner; the legal description of the property being transferred; recording information from the deed granting joint tenancy; and a request to update the records with the county auditor ( 558.66(3)(b)). In addition, many people include an official copy of the deceased owner's death certificate.
Completing this process is an essential step in preserving a clear chain of title to the property, meaning that there is an unbroken history of owners, which reduces the likelihood of unexpected claims of rights to the real estate. A clear chain of title also makes the property easier to sell or mortgage because title agencies will provide the insurance that is usually required as part of the sale. In addition, because grantors (owners) must sign deeds when property is sold or otherwise conveyed, the recorded affidavit serves as evidence proving why one of the named owners cannot sign the transfer.
Real estate held in joint tenancy is often one aspect of an overall estate plan. Good practice dictates frequent updates of items such as wills, trusts, and other associated documents. As such, executing an affidavit of surviving joint tenant soon after a co-owner dies protects the rights and interests of everyone involved by ensuring that the relevant land records contain the most current information.
Each situation is unique, so for complex issues or with additional questions, please contact a local real estate attorney or other estate planning professional.
(Iowa Affidavit of Surviving Joint Tenant Package includes form, guidelines, and completed example)
Important: Your property must be located in Washington County to use these forms. Documents should be recorded at the county recording office listed above.
This Affidavit of Surviving Joint Tenant meets all recording requirements specific to Washington County.
Our Promise
The documents you receive here are guaranteed to meet or exceed the applicable Washington County recording format requirements. If there is a rejection caused by our formatting, we will correct the issue or refund your payment. This guarantee applies to document formatting only and does not extend to information entered by the user, the selection of the form, or the legal effect of the completed document.
Save Time and Money
Get your Washington County Affidavit of Surviving Joint Tenant form done right the first time with Deeds.com Uniform Conveyancing Blanks. At Deeds.com, we understand that your time and money are valuable resources, and we don't want you to face a penalty fee or rejection imposed by a county recorder for submitting nonstandard documents. We constantly review and update our forms to meet rapidly changing state and county recording requirements for roughly 3,500 counties and local jurisdictions.
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Creating my enhanced lifde estate deed was rather easy but I am not happy. After buying the 3 form package for about $29 and crating my legal form... was not happy with your disclaimer than you cannot guarantee the form will meet required legal standards. I was convinced you all knew what you're doing since the forms are supposedly specific to Polk county, Florida.
Herbert, thank you for your feedback.
Our deed forms are prepared to meet the statutory and recording requirements for the state listed, including common formatting and content requirements used by county recorders.
The disclaimer exists because we are not acting as your attorney and cannot evaluate each customer’s specific facts, property history, or intended use of the document. For that reason, we cannot guarantee that a document will meet every possible legal need or circumstance.
Many customers successfully prepare and record their deeds using these materials, but anyone needing legal advice about their particular situation should consult a licensed attorney.
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Keith C. 1 out of 5 stars
not worth anything to me as i could never get notary info on form to print along with other info
Sorry to hear that Keith. We have processed a refund for your order.
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Phyllis B. 5 out of 5 stars
I saved a ton of money doing it on my own versus through legal counsel. When I took it to the auditor/recorder today, there was absolutely no problems.
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Fabulous
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Eric G. 3 out of 5 stars
Need to offer option to download ALL forms as a single (bookmarked) PDF, rather than as separates... Quite inefficient as is.
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Patricia W. 2 out of 5 stars
The "Trustee's Deed" should have been labeled a Deed of Trust because that's what it really is. So now I just wasted $19.97 getting something I can't use.
Thank you for your feedback. Sorry to hear of your confusion. We have canceled your order and payment for the trustee's deed document.
randy j. 1 out of 5 stars
the deed format and fill-in language are very specific to one type of easement and are not generally applicable to any other type; in other words it is not useful in a majority of situations and i would recommend against purchase unless you are creating an easement for an appurtenant landowner ONLY
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Kevin C. 2 out of 5 stars
I like your service, but the error message I received yesterday was confusing. It said that Utah County does not record cover pages, so I should either remove the cover page or change the “order“ of the documents being submitted. This is ambiguous. I examined my package and it looked like the cover page was already being submitted separately, as a supporting document at the end, and there was no way to explicitly change the ordering of the submitted documents, that is up to your service. So I removed the cover page. But that makes me nervous, how will they know where to route it when it is done? So now I’m not sure if it was submitted correctly.
Thank you for the review, Kevin, and for laying out exactly what you saw.
The message you received ("Utah County does not accept cover pages for recording. Please remove or reorder to the back. Thank you.") came directly from the Utah County Recorder. We pass recorder rejection notes along as written, and we agree it was ambiguous. Rejection notes from recording offices often are, since they are written for people who file in that county every day.
Supporting documents always travel behind the main document they belong to, so there was nothing for you to reorder, and by your description the cover page was already at the back. With the cover page removed, the package matched what the recorder's note asked for.
On routing: nothing is mailed back with e-recording. The recorder records the document image, adds the recording information, and returns the recorded copy electronically through the e-recording system to us. It then appears on your package in your account and you get a message from us. A cover page plays no part in that, so leaving it out did not affect where your document goes.
Robert D. 5 out of 5 stars
I was trying to register a financial statement (non real estate document). There was no link or statement on the home page to indicate that this could be done. All I had to do was to create an account, name and then upload the document. It took me over a day and several phone calls to the local deed recording office to try to figure this out. A simple link or statement to this effect would have saved me a lot of time
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Tamara R. 5 out of 5 stars
Easy to use and clear instructions.
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