A Marvin agreement is an implied or express contract made between two nonmarried cohabitants/partners regarding property rights during a romantic relationship. Generally, unmarried partners living together can enter a variety of contracts, including but not limited to pooling their earnings to share property equally, holding property as joint tenants or tenants in common, or keeping…
Continue reading ›A deed of trust is a commonly used mortgage document in California. Essentially, a deed of trust provides a lender with security for the repayment of the loan and effectively functions similarly to a mortgage. A deed of trust is a deed that transfers a legal interest in a piece of real property owned by…
Continue reading ›A “TIC” Agreement is a contractual agreement between tenants in common to real property. Because each tenant in common is a co-owner of the property, these agreements can help spell out the rights of each, preventing future disputes over payment or occupation. And, if the dispute cannot be prevented, the agreement, acting as a binding…
Continue reading ›In California, a person can claim title to a piece of real property that they are not a titleholder to through adverse possession. Adverse possession requires a person to be in use of a particular piece of real property for the required statutory period. An adverse possessor, however, does not become the titleholder of a…
Continue reading ›In California, cotenants are obligated to pay for their portion of common costs. A huge part of owning property jointly is “splitting the bill,” so to speak. From Property taxes to mortgage payments to utilities, the list goes on and on in terms of what all cotenants are responsible for. But that does not mean…
Continue reading ›Attorney’s fees are those fees owed by a client to an attorney who performed legal services on behalf of the client. In some cases, a court may order the losing party to pay the attorney’s fees of the other party. Whether attorney’s fees are available as damages depends on the nature of the action. In…
Continue reading ›A motion to determine title is a motion to the court requesting that the court establish title to a piece of real property. Typically, a motion to determine title shows up in the court as a quiet title action. A quiet title action is brought when a litigant seeks to establish that they have an…
Continue reading ›Yes, but only in specific circumstances. When thinking of lawsuits, most people associate them with individuals. John may sue Mary for battery, for example. But this isn’t always the case. A large part of the law is devoted to virtual representation because some people, like minors, simply cannot file suit. This is where guardians and…
Continue reading ›When there are two or more owners of a piece of real property who are unable to come to an agreement on how to divide the property, any co-owner of the subject property may petition the court to partition the property. This is known as a partition action. Generally, the decision of a court to…
Continue reading ›In California, property subject to a trust can be partitioned, though with some additional wrinkles to the regular partition process. Because trusts can often involve successive estates with future and present property interests, litigants should take care to understand the law regarding trusts before beginning such an action. At Underwood Law Firm, our attorneys are…
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