Asset Ownership Methods

Asset ownership is controlled in two places:

• The asset stores the ownership method.
• The ownership relationships connect owners to the asset and store each owner's percentage where a percentage is needed.

This split is important. You set the ownership method on the asset first, then create ownership relationships that fit that method.

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The Basic Rule

The asset answers this question:

What type of ownership does this asset have?

The ownership relationships answer this question:

Who owns this asset?

For tenants in common, each ownership relationship also answers:

What percentage does this owner hold?

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Sole Ownership

Use Sole Ownership when one entity owns the whole asset.

Rules:

• The asset has one owner.
• The owner holds 100%.
• You cannot add a second owner while the asset is set to sole ownership.
• If you need more than one owner, change the asset's ownership method first.

Example:

• Asset ownership method: Sole
• Number of owners on asset: 1
• Ownership relationship: Smith Pty Ltd owns 100%

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Joint Tenants

Use Joint Tenants when two or more owners hold the asset in equal shares.

Rules:

• Joint tenants always require at least 2 owners.
• The asset stores the total number of joint owners.
• The number of owners on the asset may be higher than the number of owners currently recorded in StructureGram.
• The number of owners on the asset cannot be lower than the number of ownership relationships already recorded.
• Each ownership relationship gets an equal percentage based on the asset's number of owners.
• Adding or removing an ownership relationship does not change the asset's number of owners.

This is useful when some joint owners are not recorded as entities in StructureGram.

Example:

• Asset ownership method: Joint Tenants
• Number of owners on asset: 4
• Two owners are recorded in StructureGram
• Each recorded owner relationship shows 25%
• The other 50% represents joint owners not currently recorded in the system

If the asset is set to 2 joint owners and you try to add a third owner relationship, StructureGram blocks the change. To add a third owner, first edit the asset and increase the number of owners.

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Tenants in Common

Use Tenants in Common when owners can hold different percentages.

Rules:

• Each owner has a percentage on their ownership relationship.
• Percentages can be equal or unequal.
• The total ownership percentages cannot exceed 100%.
• The asset does not need to carry a controlling number of owners for tenants in common.
• Adding an owner means adding another ownership relationship with a percentage.
• Removing an owner frees up that owner's percentage for future allocation.

Example:

• Asset ownership method: Tenants in Common
• Ownership relationship: Smith Family Trust owns 70%
• Ownership relationship: Jones Pty Ltd owns 30%
• Total ownership: 100%

If existing owners already total 90%, a new owner cannot be added with 20%. The maximum available amount is 10%.

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Where To Set The Ownership Method

Set the ownership method on the asset record.

You can do this when:

• creating an asset;
• editing an asset from the asset list or asset allocation page;
• editing an asset from an ownership diagram inspector, where available.

After the asset has the right ownership method, create ownership relationships between the owning entities and the asset.

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What Belongs On The Asset

The asset stores:

• ownership method;
• number of owners for joint tenants;
• number of owners as 1 for sole ownership;
• asset details such as name, type, value, liability, and description.

For joint tenants, the asset's number of owners represents the intended total number of joint owners. It is not just a count of relationships currently visible in StructureGram.

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What Belongs On Ownership Relationships

Ownership relationships store:

• the owner entity;
• the asset being owned;
• the ownership percentage, where applicable;
• relationship dates, if you use dated relationships.

Ownership relationships do not own the asset's ownership method. They must fit the ownership method already set on the asset.

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Changing The Ownership Method

You can change the ownership method by editing the asset.

When you change the method, StructureGram may adjust or validate the ownership relationships so they remain compatible.

Common changes:

• Sole to joint tenants: the asset must have at least 2 joint owners configured, and each owner has an equal share.
• Sole to tenants in common: you can add owners with specific percentages.
• Joint tenants to tenants in common: existing equal shares can become explicit percentages.
• Tenants in common to sole: only possible when there is one owner and that owner can hold 100%.
• Changing joint tenant count: edit the number of owners on the asset. Existing ownership relationship percentages are based on the updated count.

If a change would make existing relationships invalid, StructureGram asks you to fix the asset or relationships before saving.

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Common Messages

"Increase the number of owners on the asset"

This appears when a joint-tenants asset already has as many owner relationships as its configured number of owners.

Example:

• Asset is set to Joint Tenants
• Number of owners is 2
• Two ownership relationships already exist
• You try to add a third ownership relationship

To continue, edit the asset and increase the number of owners first.

"Ownership would exceed 100%"

This applies to tenants in common.

Example:

• Existing owners total 80%
• You try to add another owner at 30%
• Total would be 110%

Reduce the new percentage or adjust existing ownership relationships.

"Asset is configured for sole ownership"

This appears when an asset already has a sole owner and you try to add another owner.

To add another owner, edit the asset and change the ownership method first.

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Quick Comparison

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Practical Workflow

1. Create or edit the asset.
2. Choose the ownership method.
3. For joint tenants, set the total number of owners on the asset.
4. Add ownership relationships from each owner entity to the asset.
5. If StructureGram blocks a relationship, check the asset ownership method and owner count first.