Junaid and Salma are moving in together. Salma owns a house already, and they are going to live together there. Salma does not want to take any chances with the house, so she asks Junaid to sign an agreement saying that the house is hers and that he will not make a claim for property division if their relationship ends. Agreement Made " while living together "(married or unmarried) Catherine and Jim have lived together for six years. Jim has had some gambling problems and has racked up some debt. When Catherine finds out, she asks Jim to sign an agreement saying that she’s not responsible for any of the debt that he’s incurred. Agreement Made "when the relationship ends" (married or unmarried) Nevin and Jake just ended their twelve year marriage. They agree that the kids will spend equal time with both parents, that spousal support will be paid while Nevin goes back to school to upgrade her employment skills, and that the equity they have built in the home will be divided between them. This kind of agreement is usually called a separation agreement. What if there is an agreement, but it does not meet the formal requirements? Sometimes judges will enforce those agreements anyway. There are cases under the Marital Property Act where judges give effect to non-compliant agreements and make changes to them as needed. Can we just have an agreement about the home, and decide the rest of the property later? Yes, you can have and agreement about only one asset or property. Sometimes it is more cost effective to have an all encompassing agreement, as you will have to go to a lawyer for each new agreement that is made.
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