LAW REGARDING SALE OF PROPERTY OWNED BY TENANTS BY THE ENTIRETY WHERE ONLY ONE SPOUSE SIGNS THE CONTRACT EXPLAINED (SECOND DEPT).
In an action involving two contracts for the sale of property owned by tenants by the entirety, one contract with plaintiff and one with defendant, the Second Department determined questions of fact precluded defendant’s motion for summary judgment. The court explained the law applicable to the sale of property owned by tenants by the entirety by only one of the spouses:
Where spouses own property as tenants by the entirety, a conveyance by one spouse, to which the other has not consented, cannot bind the entire fee or impair the nonconsenting spouse’s survivorship interest … . Thus, generally, where property is held by spouses as tenants by the entirety, an agreement of sale signed by only one spouse is ineffective to constitute an agreement to convey full title, unless it is shown, inter alia, that the nonsigning spouse had complete knowledge of and actively participated in the transaction, that he or she ratified the purchase option after the fact, or that the signing spouse was authorized in writing to act as the nonsigning spouse’s agent in the matter … . However, each spouse may sell, mortgage, or otherwise encumber his or her rights in the property, subject to the continuing rights of the other … . Carpenter v Crespo, 2018 NY Slip Op 03501, Second Dept 5-16-18
REAL ESTATE (LAW REGARDING SALE OF PROPERTY OWNED BY TENANTS BY THE ENTIRETY WHERE ONLY ONE SPOUSE SIGNS THE CONTRACT EXPLAINED (SECOND DEPT))/TENANTS BY THE ENTIRETY (LAW REGARDING SALE OF PROPERTY OWNED BY TENANTS BY THE ENTIRETY WHERE ONLY ONE SPOUSE SIGNS THE CONTRACT EXPLAINED (SECOND DEPT))