What Is Equitable Distribution?
Equitable distribution is defined as "Judicial Division of property rights and obligations between spouses during divorce". This can also happen in the cases of death if the property was obtained during the course of a marriage. It completed through a judicial decree or an agreement through a property settlement. However this is not the same as Equal Distribution or Community Property.
While Community Property is a 50/50 split of marital assets, Equitable Distribution is a more common and takes into account the financial situation of each spouse. While being more of a flexible option, it is harder to determine the outcome after the divorce proceedings have taken place. Most states follow the Equitable Distribution laws, typically meaning the property acquired during the marriage, belongs to the spouse who earned it. However, in the cases of divorce the property is divided between the spouses in a fair manner.
Many aspects enter dividing home when not having any area home laws. Some of these factors include: length of the marriage, any written contract made prior to the marital relationship (i.e., prenuptial or premarital arrangement), age of each spouse, physical and/or psychological wellness of each spouse, earnings and home brought into the marriage, the appraisal of home being divided and the requirement of living developed in the marital relationship, among others.
There are other factors that go into the distribution that are usually based upon the economy, the financial obligations sustained throughout the marital relationship, the contribution each partner had in helping the various other and each contribution to the acquisition of the residential property. Having children also affect this. Kids most typically expand up their entire lives in said residential property and altering their house life can be damaging. Also, if the children are of institution age, there comes a problem of wishing to keep the kids in there currently established institution system.
Some various other problems that could affect the distribution could have been the major reason for the separation. If the divorce is due to marital misbehavior, this enters into the decision-making process. This was arrived The Uniform Marital relationship and Separation Act or UMDA in 1973. This act made it reasonable for both spouses in divorce proceedings.
While discussing divorce isn't always the greatest of things to discuss; knowing the information you need to know before going in, is always helpful. While equitable distribution is specifically defined, there is no set rule for setting who gets what in a divorce. Not all states have the equitable distribution law and abide by the community property laws, which is a 50/50 split of all marital assets. Numerous factors go into making an equally fair distribution of property, many set by UMDA. Although these factors affect the judicial agreement, personal matters and anything the court deems relevant can into play.