Ontario Family Court Locations
Addresses, phone numbers and hours for the Ontario courthouses that hear family matters — starting with the ones our clients actually attend, and which court hears what.
Family law
Married vs. common-law in Ontario: the property gap nobody warns you about
Married spouses in Ontario are entitled to equalization of net family property under the Family Law Act, and both have possessory rights in the matrimonial home regardless of whose name is on title.
Married spouses in Ontario are entitled to equalization of net family property under the Family Law Act, and both have possessory rights in the matrimonial home regardless of whose name is on title.
Common-law partners are not. There is no automatic property division, and no automatic right to remain in a home you don't own — no matter how long you lived there or how much you contributed to it. Claims can sometimes be advanced on other legal grounds, but they are harder, slower and less certain.
Support obligations, on the other hand, can arise for common-law partners. The mismatch catches people out constantly. A cohabitation agreement is the straightforward fix, and it is much cheaper to write one than to argue about its absence later.
Related
Mediation vs. litigation: what the difference really costs
In litigation, a judge who will meet your family for an hour decides what happens to your children and your money, on a timeline that is frequently measured in years, on a public court file, using onl
The separation agreement checklist: what has to be settled before you sign
A complete agreement generally deals with all of the following.
Next step
Tell us what's happening. We'll tell you your options.
Call the office or send a note through the form. You'll get a straight answer about which process fits your situation, what it involves, and what happens next.