All Chester County specific forms and documents listed below are included in your immediate download package:
The Following South Carolina and Chester County supplemental forms are included as a courtesy with your order.
Recording Requirements - Information Sheet (South Carolina Document)
Recording Fee Manual (South Carolina Document)
Deed Stamps Table (South Carolina Document)
Affidavit for Taxable Transfers (South Carolina Document)
Affidavit for Exempt Transfers (South Carolina Document)
Certificate of Acknowledgment - Individual (South Carolina Document)
Certificate of Acknowledgment - Representative (South Carolina Document)
Jurat (South Carolina Document)
Including:
Joint tenancy in South Carolina is governed by S.C. Code Ann. 27-7-40.
When two or more people share ownership of real property, they have choice of ways in which to hold title -- either as tenants in common or as joint tenants with the right of survivorship.
Tenancy in common is the standard form of co-ownership. In it, each person owns a percentage of the land, and when the owner dies, that portion passes to his/her estate where it is distributed during the probate process.
Joint tenancy, on the other hand, must be declared in the text of the deed: "whenever any deed of conveyance of real estate contains the names of the grantees followed by the words 'as joint tenants with rights of survivorship, and not as tenants in common' the creation of a joint tenancy with rights of survivorship in the real estate is conclusively deemed to have been created" ( 27-7-40(a)).
The statutes go on to explain that in the "event of the death of a joint tenant, and in the event only one other joint tenant in the joint tenancy survives, the entire interest of the deceased joint tenant in the real estate vests in the surviving joint tenant, who is vested with the entire interest in the real estate owned by the joint tenants" ( 27-7-40(a)(i)).
If one or more joint tenant survives the deceased owner, "the entire interest of the deceased joint tenant vests equally in the surviving joint tenants who continues to own the entire interest owned by them as joint tenants with right of survivorship" ( 27-7-40(a)(ii)).
So, how does the survivorship process work? The statutes direct the surviving joint tenant or tenants to file with the Register of Deeds of the county in which the real estate is located a certified copy of the certificate of death of the deceased joint tenant. The fee to be paid to the Register of Deeds for this filing is the same as the fee for the deed of conveyance. The Register of Deeds must index the certificate of death under the name of the deceased joint tenant in the grantor deed index of that office. The filing of the certificate of death is conclusive that the joint tenant is deceased and that the interest of the deceased joint tenant has vested by operation of law in the surviving joint tenant or tenants in the joint tenancy in real estate" ( 27-7-40(b)).
While there is no specific statutory obligation to submit the certified copy of the death certificate with an affidavit attesting to the details of the change in ownership status, it makes sense to do so. An affidavit contains statements, made under oath, which can be admitted as evidence in court. By recording an affidavit of deceased joint tenant along with the death certificate, the surviving owner(s) protect the title to the real estate. Maintaining a clear chain of title leads to less complicated sales in the future because the title search will show a continuous series of owners and transfers, which reduces the likelihood of unexpected claims against the title.
Even though recording the affidavit of deceased joint tenant and the official copy of the death certificate initiates the process of distributing the decedent's share of the real property, the only way to remove his/her name from the title is to record a new deed with the updated information.
The documents you receive here will meet, or exceed, the Chester County recording requirements for formatting. If there's an issue caused by our formatting, we'll make it right and refund your payment.
Get your Chester County Affidavit of Deceased 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.
May 31st, 2023
Name: Robert C.
Review: Not easy to navigate as a first time user. I printed the first page but lost the link to the second page.
Reply from Staff on May 31st, 2023
Thank you for taking the time to provide us with your valuable feedback. I'm sorry to hear that you've encountered difficulties with our website's navigation, particularly as a first-time user. Furthermore, your comments about the website's navigation have been taken into account. We continually strive to improve our website and make it as intuitive and user-friendly as possible. Your feedback is crucial for us in achieving this goal. Thank you again for your feedback. If you have any other suggestions or need further assistance, please don't hesitate to contact us.
May 30th, 2023
Name: Felicia T.
Review: Great service with all the added resources on the form I requested. Question: How long do the forms stay available on my account?
Reply from Staff on May 30th, 2023
Thanks for the feedback Felicia. Our goal is to keep the documents available in your account indefinitely. It's a good idea to download the documents and store them yourself just in case.
May 30th, 2023
Name: John C.
Review: So far it's OK but have not filed it with the the county so can't say if it will be what they want
Reply from Staff on May 30th, 2023
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Name: JANET D.
Review: was good choice for me but did not realize notary had to witness all 3 signatures at the same luckily had extra copy to be signed in her presence
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Name: Terry M.
Review: Very responsive. I was notified very quickly if the deed I was looking for was available.
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Name: Erik G.
Review: Great...
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Name: Brenda S.
Review: Awesome forms, filled them out on my computer, printed them out complete, notarized, recorded, wonderful process. THANKS
Reply from Staff
Thank you for the kind words Brenda. Have a great day!
Name: ROBERT L.
Review: I got a blank, a sample and detailed instructions, I'm happy. If the recorder's office had a form as they like to see, with your name as they like to see, and the property name as they like to see, no one would ever pay a lawyer for this but a little time to look up the exact names and this package you're all set. I recommend this because, while it isn't difficult, making a mistake could be very bad so getting the details right for a particular county is well worth the cost.
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Name: Stephen M.
Review: Easy to sign up and create an account. Lots of options.
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Name: Alfred M.
Review: It was a simple process and easily understood the process was seamless and I would highly recommend this to anyone looking to do this.
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Name: Dawn L.
Review: Not totally satisfied as unable to edit as needed on signature page of the deed. I want to be able to date the document and don't want the verbage "signed, sealed and delivered in the presence of" to appear and cannot remove it. The notary will make his or her own statement below as to the date executed.
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Name: Larry P.
Review: Very nice, they include a guide download that tells you all the lawyer speak!! I'll be using them again.
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Name: DAVID JOHN M.
Review: The Transfer On Death Deed did work for New Mexico! Though I did have to add the long property description to the "Exhibit" page that was included with the document. Great website! Will use again! Thanks!!!
Reply from Staff
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Name: Charles C.
Review: Using an I pad and cannot type on form that was downloaded. I do not have a computer Charles
Reply from Staff
Thank you for your feedback Charles. You might want to make sure you have the Adobe app on your Ipad: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/adobe-fill-sign/id950099951?mt=8
Name: CHARMAINE G.
Review: Would have paid double for these forms. Thankfully there are professionals making these things, I would have surely messed it up if I tried to do it myself based on my incorrect preconceived ideas.
Reply from Staff
Thank you!