If two friends purchase a property with no further explanation on the deed, how did they take title?

When two friends purchase a property and there is no further explanation on the deed regarding how they hold title, the default legal presumption in many jurisdictions, including Indiana, is that they are considered tenants in common. This means that each co-owner has a distinct, undivided interest in the property, and there's no right of survivorship. If one of the friends passes away, their interest in the property can be inherited by their heirs rather than automatically transferring to the surviving friend.

In contrast, joint tenants typically hold property with the right of survivorship, and this form of ownership usually requires specific language in the deed to be valid. Tenants by the entirety is an ownership form that is only available to married couples and, like joint tenancy, requires explicit language in the deed. Community property is a title held by married couples in some states, where property acquired during the marriage is owned jointly, but this does not apply to friends or unmarried individuals.

Since the scenario specifies no further explanation on the deed, tenants in common is the correct interpretation of how the title is taken.