Who Gets the House? How Connecticut Handles Property Division

When you and your spouse decide to divorce, two major and often contentious issues arise.  One, if there are children, is child custody.  The other is how to divide marital property.  In other words, who gets the house?  Or the retirement accounts?  Or the summer cottage your spouse’s parents gave him a few years ago?

Worrying about asset division should not make you feel petty or greedy.  It’s normal to be worried about losing money and other belongings that have been a part of your life.  Together with your lawyers, you and your spouse may choose your own arrangement regarding who gets what.  The court will step in if you don’t find your way to an amicable agreement.

Equitable Distribution Explained

When it comes to marital property, Connecticut is an equitable distribution state.  This does not mean the property will be split 50/50 between you and your spouse.  ‘Equitable’ means that the courts will divide it in a way they find fair to both parties and the ‘fairness’ could dictate that one of you gets more than the other.

When dividing up the marital property, CT courts consider several different factors.  They include but are not limited to:

• How long your marriage lasted
• The reasons why the marriage came to an end
• The respective ages and health condition of each spouse
• The current income, occupation, and employability of each spouse
• The personal assets and liabilities of each spouse
• The ability of each spouse to be self-sustaining
• The contribution that each spouse made to the acquisition, maintenance, or appreciation of marital assets

CT family courts also consider fault when making property division determinations.  If one of you contributed substantially to the breakdown of the marriage, it is possible the court may compensate the other  with a greater share of marital assets than they might otherwise have received.

Property and Ownership Rights in a Divorce

Connecticut differs from many other states in the way that it regards property and ownership rights.  When a couple divorces, practically all property is subject to distribution.  This includes:

• Property that each spouse acquired prior to the marriage
• Property in the name of one spouse only
• Inheritances and gifts

The court will divide these and other assets as fairly as possible, but the only way to maintain a degree of control over property distribution is to come to an agreement with your spouse or use a tool like divorce mediation to resolve things on more amicable terms.

The Comprehensive Connecticut Property Division Guide

How to divide property is one of the most important issues in divorces.  And, it’s one of the most confusing.  There are no set formulas or rules on how property will be divided.  The good news is that creates tremendous flexibility for experienced divorce attorneys to craft an individualized approach.  In order to prepare to make solid and informed decisions, you need to understand how property division works.  Our Comprehensive Connecticut Property Division Guide tells you everything you need to know about property division in Connecticut.

Read: Property Division: The Comprehensive Connecticut Guide

Next Steps

For more information about Connecticut divorce and family law, check out our Divorce Information and Facts.  If you have questions or want to learn more about how our team of divorce attorneys can help you with your divorce or Post Judgment issue, please contact us here.

Updated September 6, 2024