Berks County Affidavit of Surviving Spouse Form

Berks County Affidavit of Surviving Spouse Form
Fill in the blank form formatted to comply with all recording and content requirements.

Berks County Affidavit of Surviving Spouse Guide
Line by line guide explaining every blank on the form.

Berks County Completed Example of the Affidavit of Surviving Spouse Document
Example of a properly completed form for reference.
All 3 documents above included • One-time purchase • No recurring fees
Additional Pennsylvania and Berks County documents included at no extra charge:
Where to Record Your Documents
Recorder of Deeds - County Services Center
Reading, Pennsylvania 19601
Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday - Friday
Phone: (610) 478-3380
Recording Tips for Berks County:
- Verify all names are spelled correctly before recording
- Avoid the last business day of the month when possible
- Leave recording info boxes blank - the office fills these
- Bring extra funds - fees can vary by document type and page count
Cities and Jurisdictions in Berks County
Properties in any of these areas use Berks County forms:
- Bally
- Barto
- Bechtelsville
- Bernville
- Bethel
- Birdsboro
- Blandon
- Bowers
- Boyertown
- Centerport
- Douglassville
- Earlville
- Fleetwood
- Geigertown
- Hamburg
- Hereford
- Kempton
- Kutztown
- Leesport
- Lenhartsville
- Limekiln
- Lyon Station
- Maxatawny
- Mertztown
- Mohnton
- Mohrsville
- Monocacy Station
- Morgantown
- Mount Aetna
- New Berlinville
- Oley
- Pine Forge
- Reading
- Rehrersburg
- Robesonia
- Shartlesville
- Shoemakersville
- Strausstown
- Temple
- Topton
- Virginville
- Wernersville
- Womelsdorf
Hours, fees, requirements, and more for Berks County
How do I get my forms?
Forms are available for immediate download after payment. The Berks 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 Berks County?
Yes. Our form blanks are guaranteed to meet or exceed all formatting requirements set forth by Berks County including margin requirements, content requirements, font and font size requirements.
Can I reuse these forms?
Yes. You can reuse the forms for your personal use. For example, if you have multiple properties in Berks 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. You'll need Adobe Reader (free software that most computers already have). 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 Berks County?
Recording fees in Berks County vary. Contact the recorder's office at (610) 478-3380 for current fees.
Have other questions? Contact our support team
Using an Affidavit of Surviving Spouse or Life Partner in Pennsylvania
The manner of vesting, or the way owners hold title to real property, determines what will happen to that property in the event of their death.
The three options available to co-owners vesting residential real property in Pennsylvania are tenancy in common, joint tenancy, and tenancy by the entirety. A tenancy in common and a joint tenancy are available to two or more owners, whereas a tenancy by the entirety is available only to married couples.
When co-owners vest as tenants in common, each one owns a separate share of the title. A joint tenancy with the right of survivorship means that, upon the death of one joint tenant, the deceased's interest in the property is proportionately distributed to the remaining joint tenants, thus avoiding probate. In tenancy by entirety, both spouses share 100% undivided ownership of the property. Similar to joint tenancy, when the first spouse dies, his or her interest in the property ceases, meaning the surviving spouse becomes the sole owner.
Pennsylvania property held in either a joint tenancy or a tenancy by the entirety vests automatically in the survivor(s) upon the death of an owner. This means that a deed is not required to transfer the decedent's interest. Rather, an affidavit of surviving spouse or life partner may be recorded in the office of the recorder in the appropriate county evidencing the surviving spouse's right to the decedent's interest. Such a document helps to maintain a clear chain of title (ownership history) and may be useful in future title searches.
Affidavits must meet standards for recording in the state of Pennsylvania as well as the requirements for affidavits pertaining to interest in real property as established by 21 P.S. 453, and requires the name, address, and age of the affiant, as well as a legal description of the real property concerned. Further, it states that the affiant was either the legal spouse or life partner of the decedent, and indicates that the supporting documentation -- the death certificate of the decedent and either a marriage license or a certificate of life partnership -- are authorized copies. The affiant makes the sworn statements contained within the affidavit in the presence of a notary public, declaring that they are true, correct, and complete to the best of his or her knowledge.
Each case is unique, so consult a lawyer with questions.
(Pennsylvania AOSS Package includes form, guidelines, and completed example)
Important: Your property must be located in Berks County to use these forms. Documents should be recorded at the office below.
This Affidavit of Surviving Spouse meets all recording requirements specific to Berks County.
Our Promise
The documents you receive here will meet, or exceed, the Berks County recording requirements for formatting. If there's an issue caused by our formatting, we'll make it right and refund your payment.
Save Time and Money
Get your Berks County Affidavit of Surviving Spouse 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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May 22nd, 2021
I thought the forms were reasonably priced, the instructions included in the packet were thorough, and the examples helpful. Thank you for the additional CDR forms too. I contacted the Recorder's office via email with a question and Jennifer Bowser answered promptly. Job well done! However, when I delivered the deed and Real Property Transfer Declaration to the Clerk's office in Lafayette, the clerk was unfamiliar with the Declaration document being submitted and it took some time to convince her to submit the form without charging the recording fee. She even tried to phone the recorder's office for clarification, but no one answered. There then was an additional form at that office that I had to complete called Recording Request/Transmittal Form. I would suggest including that form with instructions in your on-line packet to speed up the process when a Deed is delivered to the County Clerk's satellite office. I do not expect every clerk to know all the particulars of recording requirements but a little knowledge wouldn't hurt.
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