Legal Question in Family Law in California
Status of primary residence as community prop in Ca if held as ten. in common
If a married couple buys a home in Ca and intend to use it as
their primary residence, is it considered community property even
if the proceeds applied to the down payment came from either
separate property or quasi-community property sources? Is there a
presumption(conclusive?) that the home is community property if it
is the primary residence of the couple, irrespective of whether the
deed states the prop is held as a tenancy in common? The
surviving spouse wishes to proceed with a spousal set
aside rather than regular probate in order to quickly sell the
property.This shorter procedure is apparently only allowed when
the property in question is community property. ( Since the spouse
died in England rather than California, if the house is not deemed
community property, the spousal set aside route cannot be utilized,
even if the prop can be characterized as quasi-community
property. How to establish the house is community property in
Calif?
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: Status of primary residence as community prop in Ca if held as ten. in common
Real property purchased with separate property, without a contribution of community property, would generally be separate property. Quasi property is considered to be community property in california for most purposes. You would have to review all of the facts with an attorney for a better opinion of the community property aspect of the property.