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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>85285</law_id><section_number>55.1-136</section_number><catch_line>Tenants by the entirety in real and personal property; certain trusts</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>55.1-135</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="55.1">Property and Conveyances</unit><unit label="subtitle" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="I">Property Conveyances</unit><unit label="chapter" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="1">Creation and Limitation of Estates</unit><unit label="article" level="4" order_by="1" identifier="3">Joint Ownership of Real or Personal Property</unit></structure><text>
						<section id="A"><p><span class="prefix-number">A.</span> Spouses may own real or personal property as tenants by the entirety for as long as they are married. Personal property may be owned as tenants by the entirety whether or not the personal property represents the proceeds of the sale of real property. An <span class="dictionary">intent</span> that the part of the one dying should belong to the other shall be manifest from a designation of the spouses as &#x201C;tenants by the entireties&#x201D; or &#x201C;tenants by the entirety.&#x201D; <a id="paragraph-305596" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/55.1-136/#A"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="B"><p><span class="prefix-number">B.</span> Except as otherwise provided by <span class="dictionary">statute</span>, no interest in real property held as tenants by the entirety shall be severed by written instrument unless the instrument is a deed signed by both spouses as grantors. <a id="paragraph-305597" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/55.1-136/#B"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="C"><p><span class="prefix-number">C.</span> Notwithstanding any contrary provision of &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Creditor's claim against settlor" href="/64.2-747/">64.2-747</a>, any property of spouses that is held by them as tenants by the entirety and conveyed to their joint revocable or irrevocable trusts, or to their separate revocable or irrevocable trusts, and any proceeds of the sale or <span class="dictionary">disposition</span> of such property, shall have the same immunity from the claims of their separate <span class="dictionary">creditors</span> as it would if it had remained a tenancy by the entirety, so long as (i) they remain married to each other, (ii) it continues to be held in the trust or trusts, and (iii) it continues to be their property, including where both spouses are current beneficiaries of one trust that holds the entire property or each spouse is a current beneficiary of a separate trust and the two separate trusts together hold the entire property, whether or not other persons are also current or future beneficiaries of the trust or trusts. The immunity from the claims of separate <span class="dictionary">creditors</span> under this subsection may be waived as to any specific <span class="dictionary">creditor</span>, including any separate <span class="dictionary">creditor</span> of either spouse, or any specifically described property, including any former tenancy by the entirety property conveyed into trust, by the trustee acting under the express provision of a trust instrument or with the written consent of both spouses. <a id="paragraph-305598" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/55.1-136/#C"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>2001, c. 718, &#xA7; 55-20.2; 2006, c. 281; 2015, c. 424; 2017, c. 38; 2019, c. 712.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
