Even if only one spouse's name is on the deed, any property bought during the marriage is presumed to be community property, unless it was bought with separate property funds. The spouse claiming it as separate property must prove it in court.
Under Texas law, spouses can enter into partition or exchange agreements in which one spouse transfers all or part of their present or soon-to-be-acquired community property to the other, thereby transmuting it into the separate property of the receiving spouse.
Partition lawsuits can be expensive, with costs potentially ranging from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars. The biggest expenses typically include attorney fees, court costs, and expert witness fees.
There are two potential pathways in seeking a partition: Partitions may be in kind (meaning that property is divided into separate parcels and each parcel is allotted to a separate owner) or by sale (meaning that property is sold and sale proceeds are divided among the owners).
The state divides separate personal property between your spouse and your children, with two-thirds afforded to all the children and the leftover one-third going to the spouse. Separate real property is divvied out in the same manner, but once the surviving spouse dies, real property is transferred to the children.
Texas law provides each co-owner of real property with an absolute right to have their property partitioned through a forced judicial sale. Texas courts are required to partition property even if only one co-owner makes such a request, and the courts have no wiggle room or discretion.
PARTITION. A joint owner or claimant of real property or an interest in real property or a joint owner of personal property may compel a partition of the interest or the property among the joint owners or claimants under this chapter and the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure.
Every co-owner of an interest in the property (no matter how small) must agree in order for a voluntary partition to occur. The remedy when agreement cannot be reached is for one or more of the co-owners to seek a court-ordered division by means of a partition suit.