In joint tenancy, what happens when one tenant dies?

In joint tenancy, when one tenant dies, the principle of "right of survivorship" applies. This means that the deceased tenant's interest in the property automatically passes to the surviving tenants. The surviving tenants retain full ownership of the property without it being subject to probate or being distributed according to the deceased's will or state inheritance laws. This characteristic of joint tenancy ensures that the property remains within the group of surviving tenants, providing them with immediate and uninterrupted ownership.

The other options do not align with the nature of joint tenancy. Selling the property upon the death of a tenant is not needed since the surviving tenants automatically acquire the deceased's share. Similarly, the deceased tenant's heirs do not inherit any portion of the property as their rights are extinguished upon the tenant's death in a joint tenancy. Lastly, there is no requirement for equal division among heirs; the structure of joint tenancy explicitly governs the transfer of interests rather than division. Thus, the correct answer reflects the core concept of joint tenancy and its implications upon a tenant's death.