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.
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. The court must order the property partitioned. Partition is sometimes referred to as a “forced sale.” Partition only applies to real property and not personal property.
Code § 4.102. Current with legislation from the 2023 Regular and Special Sessions signed by the Governor as of November 21, 2023. At any time, the spouses may partition or exchange between themselves all or part of their community property, then existing or to be acquired, as the spouses may desire.
A partition agreement divides, or partitions, a married couple's community estate into two separate estates. It is sometimes called a post-nuptial or post-marital agreement and is similar to a prenuptial agreement, except that it is executed by a married couple.
In short, yes, you should have an attorney to represent you in a postnuptial agreement for several reasons: To be sure you are treated fairly in the agreement. To have the agreement upheld, as a court is much more likely to say it is a valid contract if both parties were represented by counsel when they entered into it.
A partition agreement does not have to be approved by the court as just and right. In addition to being in writing and signed by both parties, a partition agreement must either specifically reference “partition” or show the parties' intent to convert the property from community property to separate property.
To win a partition action can take anywhere from a couple of months to reach a settlement agreement to a year or more if it goes to a court trial.
4.102. PARTITION OR EXCHANGE OF COMMUNITY PROPERTY. At any time, the spouses may partition or exchange between themselves all or part of their community property, then existing or to be acquired, as the spouses may desire.