Who is eligible for a mortgage after a divorce? Family tragedy: what will happen to the mortgage during a divorce.

Many young families use mortgage lending services.

But unfortunately, as statistics show, many cells of society are disintegrating without even having time to pay off the mortgage.

How is the mortgage apartment divided during a divorce? In fact, the conditions depend on the individual circumstances that took place during the dissolution of the marriage. In addition, the outcome also depends on credit obligations. If you want to find the optimal solution to your problem, you need to read the text of this article.

Let's consider different options:

  1. If the mortgage is for one spouse.
  2. Very often, a mortgage is issued to only one of the spouses. It's easier, cheaper, faster. And women, for example, who are on maternity leave, are unlikely to be able to find time for paperwork. The mortgage is entirely drawn up on the father of the family. What happens if the apartment is designed for only one person?

    One of the mortgage conditions for young families is allocation of a share to each family member. In addition, the mortgaged apartment is a jointly acquired property, since the loan was issued during the marriage. And this means that despite the fact that the mortgage is issued to only one citizen, both have the right to an apartment.

    A family member who, under the terms of a court decision or joint agreement, continues to extinguish the mortgage will be the owner of the premises.

  3. If the spouses are co-borrowers.
  4. Co-borrowers are persons who bear the burden of mortgage lending equally.

    And this means that in the event of a divorce, the mortgage will share equally. Each of the loan holders will contribute exactly half of the cost.

    In the event that one of the spouses refuses real estate, a specialized document called an agreement is drawn up. The agreement provides that the burden of paying the mortgage and future ownership passes to only one spouse.

What if there are children?

A situation when it is necessary to divide an apartment that is in a mortgage, while the family has a child.

Most often, children stay with their mother. And despite the fact that the mother and children will occupy a large share of the premises, the former spouses will pay the mortgage in half.

If the mother is unable to work, has health problems, then the mortgage payment can also be reduced. Children are required allocated shares in the premises so that upon reaching the age of majority they become full owners of part of the premises.

If the mortgage was taken before marriage?

If the mortgage was taken before marriage, then this situation can turn into a nuisance for one of the spouses. It turns out that the loan, as well as the apartment in the future, will be issued to only one citizen. The other will be left with nothing, even if he regularly paid his dues while married.

In this case, the party that did not apply for a loan, you need to find evidence that she helped pay the mortgage. If checks, certificates, as well as testimonies of witnesses are found, then the former spouse will be able to claim part of the property, which means they will continue to pay part of the loan.

With a marriage contract

In recent years, marriage contracts have been concluded more and more often. It provides for various developments in the event of a divorce:

  1. For example, one of the spouses reserves the right to pay a mortgage and in the future will become the owner of an apartment.
  2. Some citizens in the marriage contract provide that, despite the break in relations, they will pay the mortgage equally, and the property will go to the children on the right of ownership.
  3. Still others intend to own the property in half, also repay the loan.
  4. The fourth share the loan in the percentage in which they consider it necessary. For example, 70% is paid by a man, the remaining 30% is paid by a woman. At the same time, she and her children have the right to live in the premises, while her husband does not.

There are a lot of options for drawing up a marriage contract, the main thing is that the clauses of the contract do not contradict the current legislation.

The procedure for registration of the division of property in a mortgage

Where to begin?

Despite the fact that the loan is drawn up by one or both spouses at once, the most important role in such a procedure is assigned to the bank (for example, Sberbank), which issued the loan. Therefore, if you decide to terminate your relationship, or have already terminated the relationship, about this the bank must be notified accordingly.

It is the financial and credit organization that will advise you on existing issues, offer options for the division of real estate. The financial and credit organization will offer the most acceptable and convenient conditions for each of the parties. However, if you already have a court decision or a marriage contract in your hands, then the financial and credit organization must consider it and agree with the payment procedure.


Also, try to conclude with your ex-spouse settlement agreement. You may be able to negotiate without involving government agencies, as well as without going to court.

However, this is not the end of the division of property.

How should the bank be notified?

First of all, you can use a simple appearance at the nearest office. Sometimes it is not allowed to do this time or worries. In this case, you can send an e-mail to the bank's mail.

Another option is to call. The most acceptable option is to send a divorce application, a copy of the divorce certificate, by mail.

The bank is obliged to respond to your notification within 14 calendar days. Of course, in a situation where there is a personal appearance, this period is reduced significantly.

The bank should send you an official response and, if possible, invite you to a conversation. The Bank undertakes to consult you electronically and give appropriate recommendations.

Package of documents

The main role is given to the correct formation of a package of documents. If you do not get any papers, the procedure for dividing the mortgage will be delayed, which means that many unpleasant moments will be added:

  • You must provide a mortgage agreement.
  • Passport or passports of applicants.
  • If the break in relations has already been formalized, then evidence of this.
  • Provided documents for the apartment.
  • If the break was carried out in court, a copy of the court decision is attached.
  • A document certifying the technical condition of the property.
  • Help-extract about the contributed funds, if possible, checks.
  • If the parties have made an agreement with each other, then it is also attached.

At the request of an employee of a financial and credit organization, other papers that have weight and significance for registration can be attached.

Re-registration options

Sometimes one party waives a mortgage in favor of the other. According with Article 395 of the Civil Code, there is a possibility of transferring debt from one person to another. However, this can only be reissued with the consent of the creditor:

  • In order to perform such a procedure, first of all, it is necessary to write a corresponding application to the office of the financial and credit organization.
  • The necessary documents are provided.

If the borrower is conscientious, made payments on time, has a good credit history, the financial and credit organization approves the change.

If consent has not been obtained, you have several other options:

  • The parties can repay the debt jointly, even after the termination of the relationship.
  • One of the spouses at the notary refuses his share. At the same time, at the same time, he refuses to pay the loan. The refusal must be certified by a notary. The form is provided to the bank.
  • It often happens that a person refuses to pay the loan. In this case, it is possible to re-register a mortgage loan to another person.

How to divide property in a mortgage with state support?

Many citizens apply for a mortgage using the maternity capital program, social or military mortgage. How to be in that case?

If the premises were purchased under the military mortgage lending program, then the mortgage loan will be repaid with funds allocated by the Ministry of Defense. In the event of a divorce, in theory, housing is divided in half.

However, in practice this is not feasible. That is why, before concluding a military mortgage, financial and credit organizations require a marriage contract, according to which, the premises will remain with the sole owner.

Unfortunately, many spouses draw up such a document, without thinking about the consequences. In such a situation, as a rule, the premises remain with the man who carries out military service.

Participation in the program of social mortgage and mother capital provides for the allocation of parts in case of divorce to children. Therefore, housing remains with the parent with whom the children remain after the divorce. So, it is on this citizen that the burden of paying the mortgage lies.

That is, if the child stays with the mother, then it is she who must contribute funds for the mortgage. Even if a woman does not work, she will receive alimony from her spouse, with which she will pay off the amount of the debt.

Arbitrage practice

In theory, everything sounds very neat and concise. But in practice, you may encounter various difficulties that will become a real shock for you.

Let's start with the fact that far from always the premises remain in the ownership of the person to whom the mortgage was issued. Through various manipulations, a person who, it would seem, regularly paid his contributions, is left with nothing, and the mortgage, together with the outstanding part, passes into the ownership of another person.

And also, practice suggests that not always, if a spouse helped another to pay a mortgage fee, the premises will also be divided in half. In fact, most often the court takes the side of the citizen on whom the mortgage was originally issued. Even if you provide checks and other evidence that you deposited funds.

Before you decide on such a serious step as a mortgage, carefully make sure that you have the person with whom you want to spend your whole life. Perhaps you rushed and took on the burden of a mortgage loan.

If you clearly understand that a mortgage is a decisive step in order to prove the strength of your relationship, then we wish you good luck. I want to believe that the mortgage will be a pleasant experience for you.

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If the apartment is in a mortgage, and the spouses are getting divorced ... In what ways can you divide the responsibilities for paying a mortgage during a divorce, the lawyer will tell us in the video:

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Welcome! Today we continue to answer questions from readers of our project and talk about the division of an apartment in a mortgage. When spouses decide to end their life together, most of the disputes usually arise around the housing in which the family lived in marriage. This issue becomes especially acute when the mortgage apartment is to be divided. Indeed, in this case, not only the ownership of a part of the residential premises is divided, but also the obligation to pay the credit debt to the bank.

The situation with the division of an apartment in a mortgage is complicated by the presence of a third interested party - the bank. For him, divorce is not a good reason to violate or change the terms of the loan agreement. The bank does not care how you divide your property and debts. The main thing that he will be interested in is the fulfillment by borrowers of obligations to pay the debt in full without delay.

The question “How to divide a mortgage apartment during a divorce?” gives ex-spouses a lot of trouble. It is necessary to agree not only on the division of real estate, but also on the procedure for repaying the debt to the banking organization that issued the loan for it. In this case, the bank must arrange the decision, otherwise it has the right to veto.

Housing that is in a mortgage, upon divorce, is subject to division between spouses according to generally accepted rules. Each will get half of the apartment, unless a different order of division is agreed in the marriage contract. Dividing mortgage payments appropriately will be much more difficult.

In most cases, under a mortgage agreement, the spouses are co-borrowers and are equally liable to the bank for the repayment of the debt and the interest accrued on it. Credit organizations are very reluctant to divide mortgages into separate loan agreements. In this case, the risks of non-repayment of funds increase, since everyone will be obliged to pay only their part of the debt.

Mortgage property is not subject to division if there is sufficient evidence that the property was purchased with inherited money or received from the sale of housing that was in the personal ownership of one of the family members before marriage, and monthly payments were paid only from his income.

The division of the mortgage agreement and the withdrawal of the former spouse from among the co-borrowers

A mortgage after a divorce can only be divided if the apartment purchased with borrowed funds consists of several rooms. Mortgage for a one-room apartment is not subject to division.

With the consent of the bank, there are two options for changing the terms of the loan agreement:

  1. Section of the mortgage debt in proportion to the share of each of the co-borrowers in the apartment.

Before making such a decision, the bank will carefully check the financial viability of each of the borrowers. In case of doubts about their ability to pay monthly payments, a new contract will not be concluded.

Divorced spouses in this case also bear a certain risk. The apartment, previously jointly owned, will be divided into shares. In case of refusal or impossibility of one of the owners to pay for their share, the bank has the right to put up for sale the entire dwelling. The second owner will also lose the home and the money invested in it.

  1. Withdrawal of the ex-spouse from the number of co-borrowers with the simultaneous deprivation of his rights to housing.

Former husband and wife can decide to transfer ownership of an apartment acquired in marriage to one of them in full. If there is a notarized written refusal of one of them from his share, the bank can withdraw him from the number of co-borrowers on the mortgage. This opportunity will be realized only if the remaining sole borrower confirms the ability to pay monthly payments on time.

Sberbank necessarily requires a court decision on the division of property and mortgages. Based on this decision, the co-borrower will be withdrawn.

Sale of housing pledged to the bank

The most convenient solution for both spouses in the event of a divorce would be to sell the existing apartment with the subsequent division of the proceeds. If the apartment was purchased with borrowed funds and is under an encumbrance, then it can only be sold with the consent of the bank. Here again a number of problems arise:

  • Getting bank approval for a sale is very difficult;
  • The future owner, before buying mortgage housing, will first have to pay off the debt and wait for the encumbrance to be removed;
  • The increase in the terms of transferring housing to a new owner will need to be compensated by a decrease in its value.

We talked about how to do it right in the last post.

The second way to sell an apartment purchased with a mortgage is to pay off the balance of the loan in full ahead of schedule. This is the best option if the ex-spouses have enough money, especially with a small balance of debt. Real estate, after the removal of encumbrances from it, can be sold without problems at market value.

Section of an apartment on a mortgage bought before marriage

An apartment pledged by the bank could be purchased by one of the spouses before marriage. According to Russian law, after a divorce, such housing is not subject to division between spouses. A husband or wife who did not participate in the acquisition of real estate can only claim the payment of money spent on paying mortgage payments during the marriage.

How to divide an apartment in a mortgage, taking into account the interests of children

After the parents divorce, the children usually stay with one of them. His share in the common housing will be increased taking into account the interests of children. It will not be possible to divide the apartment in which the maternity capital is invested in half between the parents. In this case, most likely, the mortgage payment by court decision will be divided equally between both spouses, as those who are jointly and severally responsible for the maintenance of common children.

For the sale of a mortgage apartment, for a share in which children claim, not only the consent of the bank, but also the guardianship authorities will be required. And they give their consent only in the case of granting to the children of a dwelling that is equivalent in cost and living conditions to the property being sold.

Infringement of the interests of children during the division of common matrimonial property can turn into serious problems for parents, up to the deprivation of parental rights.

Division of an apartment in a mortgage in the presence of a marriage contract

In the West, the conclusion of a marriage contract is a common practice. In Russia, this agreement, which regulates the division of property in case of a mortgage, is drawn up quite rarely. Few of the newlyweds think about the prospects of a possible divorce and related property problems. However, the presence of this kind of document will significantly speed up and facilitate the process of dividing housing in a mortgage during a divorce.

The nuances of the marriage contract in the presence of a loan for housing

To avoid judicial separation between the divorcing spouses of an apartment purchased with a mortgage, the marriage contract must contain certain clauses:

  • Shares owned by each spouse. According to the provisions of the Family Code of the Russian Federation, all real estate purchased during the marriage is divided equally between the spouses. In the marriage contract, you can prescribe other shares of each in the living quarters, or the sole ownership of it by one of the spouses.
  • Percentage of mortgage payments. The marriage agreement must also contain the procedure for the payment by each of the married people of a loan received for the purchase of housing.

The procedure for concluding a marriage contract and declaring it invalid

An agreement between spouses can be concluded:

  • before marriage registration;
  • in the process of family life, including after signing a mortgage agreement.

In the latter case, the couple is obliged to notify the bank of the above agreement.

The marriage contract becomes a legal document after notarization. The decision to declare it invalid may be taken at the court session upon the application of one of the parties. The bank that issued the mortgage may also apply to the court in case of disagreement with the procedure for dividing the mortgage after a divorce, if the agreement was signed by the spouses after assuming obligations under the loan.

Features of the division of property acquired under a military mortgage

Many problems arise when delimiting the rights to property among married couples, one of whose representatives is a serviceman who participated in the military mortgage program.

It is impossible to divide the mortgage, for which the Ministry of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, and not the borrower, actually pays. Ensuring this condition usually occurs through the conclusion of a marriage contract between the spouses, where the wife's refusal to apply for an apartment purchased on a military mortgage is prescribed.

As a rule, it is issued for one soldier. The spouse and children do not have the right to property, but there are cases when both parents are military personnel and purchase housing together at the expense of the Ministry of Defense. In this case, you need to apply to the court for registration of the division of property and debts, and then to the bank with a request to either withdraw the borrower or allocate shares and divide the debt, but the most realistic way is to close the mortgage and divide the property.

Things to Consider Before Signing a Mortgage Agreement in Marriage

No matter how cloudless the life of a married couple, you can never predict what might happen in a couple of years. No one plans to get divorced standing at the marriage altar. Buying and selling an apartment is a serious business associated with large financial costs. If it is planned that the future family nest will be purchased with a mortgage, then the young should determine in advance all the possible nuances of such a step.

The biggest mistake that mortgage co-borrowers make after a divorce is to suspend monthly payments until the court decides on the division of the apartment and mortgage. It should be remembered that for the bank, family force majeure circumstances of borrowers are not grounds for deferring loan payments.

Even if the spouses divorced, they are required to continue to pay the debt in full. The bank may demand early repayment of the mortgage if it has doubts about the return of borrowed funds. In the event of a long delay in payment, the mortgaged property may be put up for sale at a price well below its market value.

Even before going to the bank, it is recommended to draw up a prenuptial agreement that will regulate the actions of the spouses in relation to the apartment being purchased and the mortgage, if they suddenly decide to get a divorce. This will avoid a lot of problems, save your nerves and time to resolve the issue of division of an apartment with a mortgage.

Divorce in a family is a big problem, if there is also a mortgage, then this procedure turns into a real headache. Sign up for a consultation with our lawyer to get free expert help and go through this difficult path of property division with the reliable support of an experienced lawyer.

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The divorce process with the division of property and the determination of the place of residence of the child is complex even without additional aspects. Mortgage in case of divorce of spouses with children becomes an additional problem.

Divorce and division of mortgage property in a mortgage: general provisions

Prosperous spouses who have an apartment in a mortgage do not even think about how to divide during a divorce. But when a conflict arises, this issue becomes acute. There are two urgent issues that need to be addressed:

  • how to pay off a mortgage during a divorce;
  • who remains mortgaged property purchased with borrowed funds.

Low legal literacy and euphoria that accompanies years of happy living together play a cruel joke: it is very difficult to accurately determine the percentage invested in a mortgage purchase and the degree of participation in repayment of a mortgage loan by each of the spouses. All investments are taken into account, including social benefits. How maternity capital can be used for a mortgage,.

A separate circumstance is the presence of minor children, whose interests are necessarily taken into account in real estate transactions in which the child is registered. Actions that worsen the living conditions of children can be qualified by the guardianship authorities as insufficient fulfillment of duties by parents. In this case, actions are provided up to the deprivation of parental rights and state custody of such a child.

The first thing to do for parents planning to carry out operations with mortgage-encumbered housing during a divorce is to discharge the child and provide him with alternative registration.

The fate of a mortgage issued before marriage during a divorce

Property and obligations under a loan issued before marriage are property that is not subject to division. This situation in the practice of divorce with children in the presence of a mortgage is the simplest. The court or mutual agreement of the parents determines the place of residence of the minor: this issue does not apply to the situation with the apartment. But the court, which is obliged to ensure the protection of the interests of children, may take into account the fact of the presence or absence of housing. What will be the decision on determining the place of residence, when a parent who has all the rights to an apartment in a mortgage enters into a dispute, and the second, who does not have his own housing and does not apply for it, will depend on many aspects.

How to avoid common problems

In order not to face negative situations associated with a mortgage apartment, it is strongly recommended to conclude a marriage contract in advance.

According to current legislation, this can be done not only before marriage, but also during the period of immediate family life.

For many people, however, this approach seems unacceptable from a moral point of view - only 5% of Russians use such an agreement.

A compromise alternative would be a mortgage agreement. It is issued with the help of a bank and can significantly reduce the risks of both the bank and the divorcing party. Although credit institutions are primarily interested in this, because for them it is a guarantee of payment in any case, even if one of the parties refuses to pay the mortgage. It is more beneficial for spouses before a divorce - after all, a mortgage agreement can make them co-borrowers on a loan and make the amount and conditions issued better.

Section of an apartment registered for co-borrowers

A married couple can be co-borrowers from the moment of execution of the mortgage agreement or from the date of marriage. In the latter case, the degree of participation in payments can be confirmed by an amendment to the contract or by retained payment receipts. The generally accepted opinion that by default property is divided into two equal parts is erroneous. With a peaceful settlement of the issue of how to get a divorce, if the apartment is in a mortgage, the bank will consider the solvency of each of the applicants, taking into account the changed marital status and other adjustments in life circumstances. If it is necessary to divide by the court, the following are taken into account:

  • the presence of children;
  • the degree of participation in the repayment process of each;
  • solvency in general and the level of income.

The obligation to confirm the fact that one of the co-borrowers paid more or even completely repaid the debt rests with him.

Lawyers recommend that when conducting operations to pay monthly interest, be sure to keep all checks and documentary evidence of the sources of funds. Only in this case it is possible to prove to the court the right to claim a large part of the property in case of division, defined as jointly acquired, or to the corresponding amount of compensation in case of disproportionate division.

Credit obligations for the unpaid share are divided in proportion to the parts of the transferred property. The one who receives more is obliged to pay in the same amount.

The fate of the apartment and the loan can be decided by agreement of the parties or through the court:

  1. An equivalent division of property, in which the fate of obligations to the bank is determined by its experts. An insolvent citizen may be relieved of the obligation to share the payment by the decision of the bank, but the second will be forced to pay the debts in full. The most difficult cases are the division of one-room apartments, in which the shares will have to be determined before the restructuring of the contract.
  2. Proportional division, in which a large share remains with the guardian of the children or with the parent who paid most of the loan burden.
  3. Voluntary refusal to share meters from one of the parties. Together with the property, loan obligations also pass, which gives the bank the right to refuse such re-registration. If the study of the financial condition does not raise doubts about solvency and the contract is renewed, the second of the spouses, who invested money during their stay in marriage, may demand compensation. If it is not possible to resolve the issue voluntarily, the court issues instructions on how to divide the shares.
  4. Selling an apartment simplifies the division. The proceeds are divided into a share for early repayment of debt and the balance. The second part of the spouses can be divided among themselves both by agreement and in court. The right to a specific share will also have to be documented.

Protecting the rights of children in a divorce situation with a mortgage

Transactions with real estate, listed as the place of registration of a minor, are closely monitored by state guardianship authorities. As a result of the transactions, he should not be left without housing, and living conditions after the division cannot be significantly worsened.

Before deciding how to sell a mortgage apartment during a divorce and divide the funds, you will have to write out the children and determine their new place of residence. Banking rules provide time for such transactions. When dividing the apartment itself, the parent with whom the child remains is also assigned a large part of the area with a proportional load in the form of interest on the loan.

If the rights of a minor to housing are violated, parents can be held accountable: the relevant authorities will deal with the issue of deprivation of parental rights, determining the place of stay and appointing guardianship.


Our readers ask how the mortgage will be divided in the case of a divorce of spouses with children. The divorce procedure itself is not a reason to change the conditions for a home loan. The spouses will then be jointly and severally liable for the mortgage.

What does the legislation say?

The Family Code of the Russian Federation specifies the following rights of spouses who have children, a mortgage apartment and get divorced:

  1. The common property of the spouses is any property that was acquired during marriage (it does not matter to whom it is registered).
  2. Previously, payments were paid out of the common property of husband and wife
  3. Since the spouses are jointly and severally liable, the bank will force them to jointly repay the loan after the divorce.
  4. is divided into two equal halves. But if there are children in the family, then the parent with whom they will live receives most of the housing.

Both spouses are responsible for the mortgage, regardless of who entered into an agreement with the bank. Some banks may require early repayment of the loan upon learning of the impending divorce. You can read more about how to properly pay off a mortgage loan for a house or apartment in this article.

Important: in each such case there are many nuances that will be taken into account by the banking organization. If you and your ex-spouse cannot come to a unanimous decision that would suit both parties, then you can always go to court. In this case, you need to be guided by the Family Code, the Civil Code, the federal law "On Mortgage", and, of course, your contract.

But even here it is worth remembering that there is no single scenario for the development of events, absolutely unique decisions will be made for each case, there are simply no precedents for a guideline. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to come to an agreement, because. the views of several parties must be taken into account.

How can real estate and debt be divided?

It is worth noting that such a division does not always occur according to the standard scenario, each case is individual. Everyone has different circumstances, income.

The following options are possible:

  • With the consent of the bank, you can amend the mortgage agreement and divide the responsibility for paying off the debt into certain parts.
  • If there is a marriage contract or through the court, the apartment can be divided by agreement.
  • The apartment is divided in half by the court, otherwise it is possible if one of the spouses can prove that only he took part in.
  • The transaction can be re-registered only for one, but only if the bank makes sure of its solvency, good credit history, and reliability as a payer. It is important for a future borrower to know how to keep a positive credit history, no matter what, this review will tell you in detail about this.
  • If one of the spouses refuses to contribute money to repay the loan, then after the divorce, the debt is completely transferred to the shoulders of the second co-borrower. If he does not agree, then the apartment will be put up for sale by the bank.
  • The spouse, who will cover the entire debt to the creditor, may, in court, demand monetary compensation from the second, in accordance with the amount paid.
  • If mortgage payments are not received for 3 months or more, the property will be put up for auction and the borrowers will receive the balance after the sale and repayment of the debt. If a child is registered in the apartment, then it must be discharged. The court may grant a delay in finding a new home. If, by a court decision, the child is not discharged on time, then the guardianship authorities may raise the issue of deprivation of parental rights on the basis that the parents cannot provide normal living conditions for the children.
  • A mortgaged apartment can be sold by an ex-husband and wife to pay off debt. The remainder is divided between the spouses. Read about how to sell housing under a mortgage.

Important Points

Before deciding on any action, carefully read your loan agreement, if possible, contact the bank branch for advice on your issue. Very often, the contract states that spouses become co-borrowers, which is beneficial for everyone - the total income increases, for the bank this is additional insurance, etc.

What happens in practice? Often there is another note there, which says that during a divorce, the terms of the contract do not change. This means that if one of the parties refuses to continue payments, then all obligations will be completely transferred to the second co-borrower. And it will be very difficult to dispute it.

In fact, you will have only 3 options for the development of events: continue to pay together, find the missing amount of debt for early repayment, or sell the mortgaged apartment to the bank. In many cases, it is the third option that is used to satisfy the interests of both the creditor and the debtors.

The divorce process with the division of property and the determination of the place of residence of the child is complex even without additional aspects. Mortgage in case of divorce of spouses with children becomes an additional problem.

Divorce and division of mortgage property in a mortgage: general provisions

Prosperous spouses who have an apartment in a mortgage do not even think about how to divide during a divorce. But when a conflict arises, this issue becomes acute. There are two urgent issues that need to be addressed:

  • in case of divorce;
  • who remains mortgaged property purchased with borrowed funds.

Low legal literacy and euphoria that accompanies years of happy living together play a cruel joke: it is very difficult to accurately determine the percentage invested in a mortgage purchase and the degree of participation in repayment of a mortgage loan by each of the spouses. All investments are taken into account, including social benefits. How maternity capital can be used for a mortgage,.

A separate circumstance is the presence of minor children, whose interests are necessarily taken into account in real estate transactions in which the child is registered. Actions that worsen the living conditions of children can be qualified by the guardianship authorities as insufficient fulfillment of duties by parents. In this case, actions are provided up to the deprivation of parental rights and state custody of such a child.

The first thing to do for parents planning to carry out operations with mortgage-encumbered housing during a divorce is to discharge the child and provide him with alternative registration.

The fate of a mortgage issued before marriage during a divorce

Property and obligations under a loan issued before marriage are property that is not subject to division. This situation in the practice of divorce with children in the presence of a mortgage is the simplest. The court or mutual agreement of the parents determines the place of residence of the minor: this issue does not apply to the situation with the apartment. But the court, which is obliged to ensure the protection of the interests of children, may take into account the fact of the presence or absence of housing. What will be the decision on determining the place of residence, when a parent who has all the rights to an apartment in a mortgage enters into a dispute, and the second, who does not have his own housing and does not apply for it, will depend on many aspects.

How to avoid common problems

In order not to face negative situations associated with a mortgage apartment, it is strongly recommended to conclude a marriage contract in advance.

According to current legislation, this can be done not only before marriage, but also during the period of immediate family life.


For many people, however, this approach seems unacceptable from a moral point of view - only 5% of Russians use such an agreement.

A compromise alternative would be a mortgage agreement. It is issued with the help of a bank and can significantly reduce the risks of both the bank and the divorcing party. Although credit institutions are primarily interested in this, because for them it is a guarantee of payment in any case, even if one of the parties refuses to pay the mortgage. It is more beneficial for spouses before a divorce - after all, a mortgage agreement can make them co-borrowers on a loan and make the amount and conditions issued better.

Section of an apartment registered for co-borrowers

A married couple can be co-borrowers from the moment of execution of the mortgage agreement or from the date of marriage. In the latter case, the degree of participation in payments can be confirmed by an amendment to the contract or by retained payment receipts. The generally accepted opinion that by default property is divided into two equal parts is erroneous. With a peaceful settlement of the issue of how to get a divorce, if the apartment is in a mortgage, the bank will consider the solvency of each of the applicants, taking into account the changed marital status and other adjustments in life circumstances. If it is necessary to divide by the court, the following are taken into account:

  • the presence of children;
  • the degree of participation in the repayment process of each;
  • solvency in general and the level of income.

The obligation to confirm the fact that one of the co-borrowers paid more or even completely repaid the debt rests with him.

Lawyers recommend that when conducting operations to pay monthly interest, be sure to keep all checks and documentary evidence of the sources of funds. Only in this case it is possible to prove to the court the right to claim a large part of the property in case of division, defined as jointly acquired, or to the corresponding amount of compensation in case of disproportionate division.

Credit obligations for the unpaid share are divided in proportion to the parts of the transferred property. The one who receives more is obliged to pay in the same amount.

The fate of the apartment and the loan can be decided by agreement of the parties or through the court:

  1. An equivalent division of property, in which the fate of obligations to the bank is determined by its experts. An insolvent citizen may be relieved of the obligation to share the payment by the decision of the bank, but the second will be forced to pay the debts in full. The most difficult cases are the division of one-room apartments, in which the shares will have to be determined before the restructuring of the contract.
  2. Proportional division, in which a large share remains with the guardian of the children or with the parent who paid most of the loan burden.
  3. Voluntary refusal to share meters from one of the parties. Together with the property, loan obligations also pass, which gives the bank the right to refuse such re-registration. If the study of the financial condition does not raise doubts about solvency and the contract is renewed, the second of the spouses, who invested money during their stay in marriage, may demand compensation. If it is not possible to resolve the issue voluntarily, the court issues instructions on how to divide the shares.
  4. Selling an apartment simplifies the division. The proceeds are divided into a share for early repayment of debt and the balance. The second part of the spouses can be divided among themselves both by agreement and in court. The right to a specific share will also have to be documented.

Protecting the rights of children in a divorce situation with a mortgage

Transactions with real estate, listed as the place of registration of a minor, are closely monitored by state guardianship authorities. As a result of the transactions, he should not be left without housing, and living conditions after the division cannot be significantly worsened.

Before deciding how to sell a mortgage apartment during a divorce and divide the funds, you will have to write out the children and determine their new place of residence. Banking rules provide time for such transactions. When dividing the apartment itself, the parent with whom the child remains is also assigned a large part of the area with a proportional load in the form of interest on the loan.

If the rights of a minor to housing are violated, parents can be held accountable: the relevant authorities will deal with the issue of deprivation of parental rights, determining the place of stay and appointing guardianship.