Offsets in Partition Archives

How Does the Partition Referee Get Paid?

The compensation of the partition referee is paid at the end of the case, which is generally when the co-owners are being paid. In California, partition referees effectuate the court’s judgment that the property should be partitioned, which usually involves a sale of the property. The Partition Referee Gets Paid at the End of the … Read More

Can I Make Improvements to a Property in a Partition?

Can You Make Property Improvements During a Partition?

While you may want to make improvements to a co-owned property, you may want to consider the timing in relation to when you file a partition. This article will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of allocating funds for property improvements depending on where you are in filing a partition action. Should You Make Improvements Before … Read More

Factors Impacting Cost of a Partition Action in California

Legal fees in a partition action are generally smaller than the Realtor fees involved in forcing the sale. However, co-owners are wise to make an educated guess of the cost of attorney’s fees in a partition lawsuit. The cost of the partition hinges on several factors, including the extent of disagreement among co-owners, the monetary … Read More

My Co-owner is Not Paying the Property Taxes

It’s not uncommon for one co-owner to bear the brunt of property taxes, especially in scenarios where one co-owner resides on the property while others do not. An issue arises when this arrangement leads to a disparity in financial contributions for maintenance and obligations tied to the property. Implications of Financial Distress The failure of … Read More

Can a Partition Injunction Prevent a Foreclosure

Can a Partition Prevent a Foreclosure?

The threat of foreclosure poses a significant challenge for homeowners facing financial hardship and particular difficulty when a co-owner may be engaged in an active partition action. Amidst this uncertainty, injunctions emerge as a potential safeguard, offering homeowners a legal avenue to protect their property rights. A request for an injunction amidst a partition action … Read More

Damages for Ouster California Partition Action Law Attorney

Damages for Ouster in California Partition Actions

Co-ownership of property often involves a delicate balance of rights and responsibilities among the owners. However, this equilibrium can be disrupted when one co-owner oversteps their bounds, leading to a situation termed “ouster.” An ouster occurs when one co-owner unlawfully excludes another from the property, effectively seizing sole benefits of ownership while circumventing its associated … Read More

Who Pays for a Partition Action?

California law allows the party filing a partition action to request that the court award their attorney’s fees and costs from the other co-owners. Attorneys fees are most likely to be granted against an uncooperative defendant. These fees are generally paid from the proceeds of sale of the property. In fact, the recovery is not … Read More

998 Offers in Partition Actions to Force a Settlement

How to Force Your Co-owner to Settle a Partition Action by Threatening to Recover the Costs of Partition Co-owners in a partition action can harness the power of a 998 offer by threatening to recover the costs of partition if the other side doesn’t accept the offer. The costs of partition can include partition attorney’s … Read More

Recovering Repairs and Improvements in a Partition Action

Co-owner often seek to recover their unequal payments relating to the repairs and improvements to the co-owned property in a partition action. While the law sometimes conflates repairs and improvements, the law favors improvements, but may not always allow ordinary repairs to be recovered in a partition action. The Law on Recovery of Repairs and … Read More

How Will the Realtor Commission Lawsuits Impact Partition Actions?

Co-owners of real estate are always hoping to reduce the cost of a partition, which is a lawsuit that attempts to divide co-owned property, generally by forcing a sale and division of the proceeds. On October 31, 2023, the National Association of Realtors and large residential brokerages were found liable for about $1.8 billion in … Read More