Dividing property and debts after you separate

If you divorce or separate, there are laws that say how the property and debt of spouses should be divided.

The law divides property into:

If you were married, you must apply to BC Supreme Court to divide family property or debt no later than two years after you got an order for divorce or annulment.

If you were unmarried, you must apply to BC Supreme Court within two years of the date you separated.

It’s best not to agree to get a divorce until you deal with property division issues.

What's family property?

Family property is everything either you or your spouse own together or separately on the date you separate, except excluded property. Family property includes:

It doesn't matter whose name the property is in. The law says it's still family property. See section 84 of the Family Law Act to find out more about what family property is.

Companion animals

Family property also includes companion animals (pets). As of January 15, 2024, the Family Law Act states that separating or divorcing spouses can make their own agreement about the possession and ownership of pets. The agreement may include that the spouses:

For more information about reaching agreement, see the Government of BC website.

If you and your spouse can’t agree on who gets the family pet, one of you can apply to BC Provincial Court or Supreme Court for an order. The court will consider various factors and make a decision about which spouse gets ownership and possession of the pet. (The court can’t declare that spouses jointly own the pet or require spouses to share possession of the pet.)

People who are not spouses may be able to resolve a pet dispute by agreement or by going to the Civil Resolution Tribunal, BC Small Claims Court, or BC Supreme Court, depending on the value of the claim.

What about property one of you owned before you got together?

Any property you owned before you and your spouse lived together is called excluded property. That means:

What if the property increases in value?

But if the property increases in value while you're living together, that increase is part of the family property. That means the increased value is divided equally between the two of you if you separate.

For example, say you owned a house before you started living with your spouse. If you separate, you won't have to give your spouse an equal share of its total value. But you do have to give them half of the increase in the house's value since you started living together.

That means it increased in value by $200,000 during your relationship. Your spouse can get half of the increase, or $100,000 in this example.

What if you put the excluded property into joint names?

Excluded property remains excluded property, even if you put it into joint names.

For example, say one spouse inherits $100,000 and uses it to buy property in joint names with their spouse.

Under the Family Law Act, the $100,000 stays excluded property after separation as it can be traced back to the spouse who contributed it. But a court can decide to divide excluded property in certain circumstances if a claim is made.

Excluded property also includes property that you bought with excluded property.

For example, if you owned an apartment before you got married and you sold it to buy the family home after you got married, you can "trace" the value of the excluded property (the apartment) that went towards the new family property. You don't have to share this part of the value.

Tracing the value of the excluded property can be complicated, so you might need to get some legal advice.

What else is excluded property?

Other types of excluded property are:

See Section 85 of the Family Law Act for a full list of excluded property.

Remember: If you own something that's excluded property, its increase in value during the time you were living together is family property. That means you need to share the amount of the increase with your spouse.

The law in this area changes and can be complicated. Get legal advice if you can.

How are family property and family debt divided?

If you and your spouse separate, the law says that all the family property and family debt have to be divided equally between the two of you, unless you make a different agreement.

If you and your spouse have made an agreement about property and debt, you'll divide everything the way you agreed to in the agreement.

See Write your own separation agreement for help with making an agreement if you're separating.

If you've already separated from your spouse, you can still make a separation agreement. See Making an agreement after you separate for tips on how to do this.

What's family debt?

Family debt includes all debts either spouse took on during the relationship. This includes:

It also includes debts taken on after you separate if the money was used to take care of family property.

Both spouses are equally responsible for family debt:

See section 86 of the Family Law Act to find out more about what counts as family debt.

Can creditors make you pay back your ex-spouse's debts?

Creditors can only collect payment from the person who took on (signed for) the debt. If a couple has joint debts, creditors might decide to collect payment from only one spouse.

If you've separated,