Which is a key feature of joint tenancy that distinguishes it from other forms of ownership?

A key feature of joint tenancy that distinguishes it from other forms of ownership is the right of survivorship among owners. This means that when one joint tenant passes away, their interest in the property automatically transfers to the surviving joint tenants rather than being passed on to their heirs or included in their estate. This characteristic creates a legal continuity in ownership and ensures that the property remains jointly held by the surviving owners, preventing any outsider from acquiring a share through inheritance.

In contrast, other forms of ownership, such as tenancy in common, do not include the right of survivorship. In a tenancy in common, each owner's share can be inherited by heirs, potentially leading to new, external parties becoming involved in ownership, thus diverging from the joint ownership dynamic. The other options—dividing possession, the requirement for consent to transfer shares, and percentage ownership—do not capture the unique and defining characteristic of joint tenancy, which is fundamentally tied to the concept of survivorship.