ERRONEOUS HUSBAND AND WIFE DESIGNATION ON THE DEED CREATED A TENANCY IN COMMON, DEFENDANT’S INTEREST IN THE PROPERTY WAS SUBJECT TO FORECLOSURE 2ND DEPT.
The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined that the mortgage-holder’s motion for a default judgment and order of reference should not have been denied. The 1970 deed for the property named defendant and his mother as husband and wife. Pursuant to 1970 law (which changed in 1975) the erroneous “husband and wife” designation created a tenancy in common with no right of survivorship. Therefore, although defendant was not the sole owner at the time the mortgage loan was made, the mortgage was secured by his interest in the property and that interest was subject to foreclosure:
Contrary to the Supreme Court’s determination, while the defendant may not have been the sole owner of the subject property at the time of the loan, he was still able to mortgage the subject property to the extent of his interest therein, since ” [a] mortgage given by one of several parties with an interest in the mortgaged property is not invalid; it gives the mortgagee security, but only up to the interest of the mortgagor'” … . “[T]here is nothing in New York law that prevents one of the co-owners from mortgaging or making an effective conveyance of his or her own interest in the tenancy. To the contrary, each tenant may sell, mortgage or otherwise encumber his or her rights in the property, subject to the continuing rights of the other” … . John T. Walsh Enters., LLC v Jordan, 2017 NY Slip Op 05813, 2nd Dept 7-25-17
REAL PROPERTY (DEEDS, ERRONEOUS HUSBAND AND WIFE DESIGNATION ON THE DEED CREATED A TENANCY IN COMMON, DEFENDANT’S INTEREST IN THE PROPERTY WAS SUBJECT TO FORECLOSURE 2ND DEPT)/FORECLOSURE (DEEDS, ERRONEOUS HUSBAND AND WIFE DESIGNATION ON THE DEED CREATED A TENANCY IN COMMON, DEFENDANT’S INTEREST IN THE PROPERTY WAS SUBJECT TO FORECLOSURE 2ND DEPT)/TENANCY IN COMMON (DEEDS, ERRONEOUS HUSBAND AND WIFE DESIGNATION ON THE DEED CREATED A TENANCY IN COMMON, DEFENDANT’S INTEREST IN THE PROPERTY WAS SUBJECT TO FORECLOSURE 2ND DEPT)