Ventura County Affidavit of Death of Joint Tenant Form PDF

The Affidavit of Death of Joint Tenant is a form of the Ventura County Clerk-Recorder used to verify a death and to identify the decedent as a former interest holder in specifically described real property. The printed title is "AFFIDAVIT – DEATH OF JOINT TENANT".

In the affidavit, the person signing (the affiant/declarant), who must be of legal age, swears that the decedent named in the attached certified copy of the Certificate of Death is the same person named in a specific deed. You enter the date of that deed, who executed it and to whom, that it was made to them as joint tenants, the date it was recorded, its Instrument No., the county whose Official Records hold it, and a description of the real property.

The form is meant to be recorded. Its top section has boxes for "Recording requested by", "And when recorded mail to" and the APN, plus a space reserved for the Recorder's use. A notary certificate at the bottom records that the signer swore or affirmed before the notary and proved identity; the certificate itself states that the notary verifies only the signer's identity, not the truthfulness, accuracy or validity of the document.

The County Recorder's forms page lists this document as one of the commonly recorded documents. It is not a deed: the same page lists the Grant Deed and the Quitclaim Deed as the forms used to transfer title to real property.

The person who will sign as affiant/declarant uses this form. That person must be of legal age and swears to the statements about the decedent and the deed, so the affidavit is completed by someone who can describe the deed and the property and who can appear before a notary or other officer.

It is used when a person has died who is named as one of the parties, as a joint tenant, in a deed already recorded in the Official Records, and the death needs to be placed on record against the described real property. The Ventura County Clerk-Recorder describes its purpose as verifying the death of the decedent and identifying the decedent as a former interest holder in that property.

Do not use it to transfer title. The County Recorder's page lists the Grant Deed and Quitclaim Deed for transfers of title to real property. The form itself says nothing about who may sign on behalf of another person.

The triggering event is the death of a person named as a joint tenant in a recorded deed. Because the form requires a certified copy of the death certificate to be attached, you can complete and record it once you have that certified copy in hand. Neither the form nor the Clerk-Recorder's forms page prints a deadline for recording it. The affidavit is also signed and sworn before a notary or other officer, so the signing date on the form is the date you appear before that officer, with the form's "Dated" line completed by the signer.

The affidavit is a recordable document handled by the County Recorder division of the Ventura County Clerk-Recorder. The form and the Clerk-Recorder's forms page name no mailing address, online portal or appointment rule for it, so confirm the recording method with the Clerk-Recorder through its forms page at https://clerkrecorder.venturacounty.gov/county-recorder/forms/.

What the package needs:

• The completed affidavit, with the signature of the affiant/declarant and the notary verification.
• A certified copy of the death certificate, attached as the form directs.
• A Preliminary Change of Ownership Report. The Clerk-Recorder states this document type requires one, and a penalty fee may be assessed if it is incomplete or missing.

Fees: the Clerk-Recorder publishes a list of fees for the County Recorder; the amounts are not given here, so check that list.

Ventura County does not conform copies. Do not send additional copies to be conformed, because they will be returned to you. Enter your return address in the "And when recorded mail to" box on the form. FillingPDF lets you fill out and download the PDF; submission follows the Clerk-Recorder's channels.