Tenancy in common is the ownership of real property by two or more co-owners (tenants in common) who may have equal or unequal ownership interests in the property (unlike joint tenants who must own equal shares).

Tenants in common (TIC) can transfer (bequeath or devise) their ownership interests to anyone upon their death, as there is no right of survivorship among tenants in common (there is a right of survivorship among joint tenants).

Unless the transfer or conveyance documents clearly establish that parties own a piece of real property as joint tenants, the default nature of ownership of real property by multiple parties is as tenants in common.

Laws vary from state to state and in many states the law regarding ownership of real property as tenants in common or as joint tenants is located in the state’s statutes—although it may also be located in a state’s court opinions (common law or case law).

In Missouri, tenancy in common is a form of property co-ownership where two or more individuals hold title to a piece of real estate. Each tenant in common has a separate and distinct share of the property, which can be unequal in size, and these shares can be freely transferred to others upon the owner's death. There is no right of survivorship in a tenancy in common, meaning that when one tenant in common dies, their interest in the property does not automatically pass to the surviving co-owners, as it would with joint tenancy. Instead, it passes according to the deceased's will or the state's intestacy laws if there is no will. In Missouri, unless a deed or other conveyance document explicitly states that the co-owners take the property as joint tenants with the right of survivorship, the default form of co-ownership is assumed to be tenancy in common. This is in line with Missouri statutes and case law, which govern the specifics of property co-ownership in the state.