Category: Family Law Agreements

Information on important family agreements, such as separation agreements, prenuptial agreements, cohabitation agreements, and marriage contracts. These blogs try to answer questions you may have relating to the law and drafting of separation agreements, prenuptial agreements and cohabitation agreements.

If I paid the down payment on the house from money I had before the relationship started, do we have to split the family house equally in the case of separation or divorce?

/ Mark-John
excluded property rules

People often wonder in the case of separation what happens to the family home if one spouse contributed money they had before the relationship to the purchase of the family home. They wonder if their down payment on the family home will be divided when they separate or divorce or if it will be excluded from the division of family property.
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Free New BC Child Support & Spousal Support Calculator

/ Mark-John

In order to help ensure that support payments are fair, the government of Canada has published two different guidelines, the Spousal Support Advisory Guidelines (for Spousal Support) and the Federal Child Support Guidelines (for Child Support). The calculations involved in these guidelines are complicated, and we want to make it as easy for you as possible. We have developed a Free BC Child Support and Spousal Support Calculator to help with this. Continue reading →

Why a Prenuptial Agreement or Cohabitation Agreement is Essential under the Family Law Act

/ Mark-John

The new Family Law Act “FLA” which came into force in March 2013 modernized the law on family relationships. The FLA is a substantial shift from the previous law – the Family Relations Act. This article will deal with the new property division regimes under the FLA and why a prenuptial agreement or cohabitation agreement is essential for any party with assets and/or children from a previous relationship. Continue reading →

How to File for Separation in BC

/ Mark-John

Your relationship has ended and you wish to separate. You may be wondering how to file for separation in BC.

Live Separate & Apart

Well in BC there is no legal requirement to file for separation with a court. Separation is a question of fact. Are you living separate and apart from your spouse? If the answer is yes I am living a separate life from my spouse, then you are separated. Living separate does not necessarily mean that you are living in a different home than your spouse. It does however mean that you are staying in different rooms, and are not living as a couple. You must be living two separate lives, even if you are in the same house. There is no legal requirement to file for separation in BC to indicate that you are separated. Continue reading →