An estate owned by a single person is called what?

• A. Joint tenancy
• B. Tenancy in severalty
• C. Tenancy by the entirety
• D. Tenancy in common

Answer: (B)

Owning property in severalty means the title is held by a single person (or one legal entity) alone. This is sole ownership, with full control by that one owner and no co-owners. There’s no right of survivorship, so what happens to the property after the owner dies is determined by a will or by state intestate succession laws, not by automatic transfer to another owner.

The other forms involve more than one owner or a specific relationship. Joint tenancy requires two or more owners with a right of survivorship. Tenancy by the entirety is for married couples and also includes survivorship. Tenancy in common involves multiple owners who may hold unequal shares and do not have survivorship.