Opinion ID: 2587419
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Homestead law

Text: The issue presented in this case is the effect of a gift deed on property held in joint tenancy, but declared to be homestead property by both joint tenants. Nevada's homestead law is established in Article 4, Section 30 of the Constitution of the State of Nevada and NRS Chapter 115. The Nevada Constitution provides that a homestead shall not be alienated without the joint consent of husband and wife when that relation exists. [5] Homestead law, unknown to common law, is a constitutional and statutory reflection of public policy and sentiment. [6] The purpose of the homestead law is to preserve the family home despite financial distress, insolvency or calamitous circumstances, and to strengthen family security and stability for the benefit of the family, its individual members, and the community and state in which the family resides. [7] The case law of this court and other jurisdictions reflects a judicial tendency to construe homestead laws liberally in favor of the class of persons for whose benefit they were enacted. [8] Considering both the express language of the Nevada Constitution and the policy behind the homestead law of protecting the individual members of a family, one spouse who is a party to a declaration of homestead may not convey or transfer title to the homestead property without the consent of the other spouse. Glenda Besnilian was clearly a member of the class the homestead laws were enacted to protect. She lived on the homestead property with her husband from the time they jointly acquired it in 1975 until his death. She and her husband jointly signed the declaration of homestead, and she was her husband's surviving spouse. Prohibiting a spouse from conveying his or her interest in a homesteaded, joint tenancy estate without the knowledge and consent of his or her joint tenant spouse, not only comports with our constitutional provision but also advances the public policy of the homestead laws. [9] For this reason, we conclude that the district court correctly determined that one party to a declaration of homestead cannot alienate a homestead property without the other's consent. To the extent that the homestead property here did not exceed the statutory value stated in NRS 115.010, Glenda is entitled to prevail on her quiet title action.