What title arrangement should be used if you want your property interest to pass to your heirs after your death?

If the goal is to ensure that property interest passes to heirs after death, using tenants in common is the most appropriate option. In a tenancy in common arrangement, each co-owner holds an individual share of the property, and upon the death of one owner, their interest does not automatically pass to the surviving co-owners. Instead, it becomes part of the deceased owner's estate and can be passed along to their heirs according to their will or state law. This provision allows for a straightforward transfer of ownership to heirs as outlined by the decedent's intentions.

Other ownership arrangements, such as joint tenancy or tenancy by the entireties, involve rights of survivorship, where the deceased owner's share automatically passes to the surviving owner(s), effectively bypassing the heirs. A life estate grants ownership only for the duration of a person's life, with the property reverting back to the original owner or another designated party after their death, but it does not allow passing property interest directly to heirs. Thus, tenants in common stands out as the correct choice for ensuring that property is inherited by heirs after the owner's death.