Joint property is also known as community property. It is a type of property ownership system where any property that is acquired during a marriage is considered to be jointly owned by both the spouses. Such property would be divided between both the spouses incase of annulment, divorce or separation. Any property that is owned by the spouse before the marriage may be considered to be solely owned by that spouse unless it is converted to community property. Some states in the US are considered to be community property states. These states are California, Arizona, Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin. However, the rules governing the community property may be different in all these states. Given below are some commonly asked questions about joint property laws: Will family property that is inherited during a marriage be considered joint property? In most situations, family property that may be inherited during a marriage may not be considered joint property. Such property may not be subjected to division in case of a divorce or separation. However, if this property was attached to other property or was used to provide financial support during the marriage, it may be considered as marital property. Any property that an individual may get when he/she was separated from his/her spouse may not be considered marital property. Will a wife be responsible for any joint property that was received by her husband and his father before the marriage? Normally, the wife may not be liable for any property that the husband may have received before the marriage. The separate property may only be considered as marital property if the wife will get financially involved with the property. Unless the ownership was transferred to the wife, the wife may not have any kind of responsibility towards the property. Another situation where the wife may be considered responsible is if she had the power of attorney and took certain decisions that resulted in the liability. If the property was received in joint ownership with the husband’s father, in case the husband dies, the property will be transferred to the father. What can a person do if his wife does not agree to sell joint property because she is living there with the children? If the wife refuses to sell joint property, the husband may lower the price of the property to match the marker price. If the wife does not agree, it may be considered to be a violation of the court order to sell the property. In such a situation, the husband may file for a show cause notice with the court, requesting it to charge contempt charges against the wife for not obeying court orders. How can a person divide joint property and debt with his/her partner with whom he/she is not married but wants to separate in Pennsylvania? The simplest solution to the issue mentioned above maybe to come to mutual agreement where one partner will buy the property from the other partner and then refinance to be the sole owner for the mortgage. If this cannot be done, the property may be sold and whatever is got can be shared equally among the spouses. As far as debt is concerned, the individual may create an agreement with details about dividing the debt. The individual may also close any accounts that they share so that one of the partners does not keep accumulating debt. If the partner does not want to sell the property or is not happy with the division, the person may file a suit in court to force the sale of property. Property laws can be different in different states of the US. The property will have to be divided in case of a divorce or legal separation if it is held jointly by the couple. This kind of a situation may give rise to various doubts and questions. One may ask a family lawyer to clear any doubts regarding joint property laws.
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