What is the difference between Joint-tenancy & Tenancy-in-common?

"With regards to property, the Manner of Holding or the ownership structure of the property affects how it is distributed. In Singapore, the two main ways of holding a property is via Joint Tenancy or Tenancy-in-Common.

Under joint tenancy, the co-owners together own the whole interest in the flat and the right of survivorship applies. This means that upon the death of any joint owner, their interest in the flat would automatically be passed to the surviving co-owners (regardless of any will or wasiat).

Under tenancy-in-common, each co-owner holds a separate and distinct share in the flat. The right of survivorship does not apply. Upon death of a co-owner, their share of the flat will be distributed. For a Muslim, this share of the flat would fall under their estate and distributed according to Faraid.

With the latest fatwa on joint tenancy (2019), Muslims who purchase property as joint tenants do not have to make any additional religious document for the right of survivorship to apply. The joint tenancy contract is recognised as religiously valid as it does not conflict with Islamic principles.

To read more on the Fatwa on Joint Tenancy (2019), you may visit the Office of the Mufti website:

www.muis.gov.sg/officeofthemufti/Fatwa/English-Joint-Tenancy

For more related questions, visit: https://ask.gov.sg/muis."