Divorce and separation appraisers in Canada
A divorce appraisal values the matrimonial home, and any other real estate, so the property can be divided or one spouse can buy the other out. Because family law often looks at value on a specific past date, the appraisal is frequently retrospective: what the home was worth on the date of separation, not today.
The appraisers listed here prepare separation and divorce appraisals across Canada, for spouses, for their lawyers and mediators, and for courts.
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Are you an appraiser? List here freeWhich date the house appraisal for divorce is based on
The date that matters depends on the province and on the question being asked. Some property-division regimes use the date of separation; some look at the date of trial or of division; and a buyout is often negotiated on current value. It is common to need two figures, one at separation, one now, and the difference between them is often where the disagreement sits.
Your lawyer or mediator should tell the appraiser which effective date or dates to use. An appraisal at the wrong date is not useful, however well it is prepared.
One joint appraiser or one each
A joint retainer: both spouses instruct one appraiser and share the fee, is cheaper and removes an argument, provided both trust the choice. It works well where the relationship is civil enough to agree the instructions.
Where it is not, each side commissions its own report and the two are compared. The gap is usually narrower than people expect; appraisers working from the same sales data rarely land far apart unless the property is unusual. When they do, the reasons are set out in the reports and can be tested.
Matrimonial home valuation for a buyout
When one spouse keeps the home, the buyout figure starts with market value and then deals with the mortgage balance, and sometimes with notional selling costs and tax. How those are handled is a legal and negotiating question, not a valuation one, but the appraisal is the number everything else is built on.
If the spouse keeping the home needs a new mortgage to fund the buyout, the lender will order its own appraisal. A significantly different lender figure can reopen the negotiation, so a realistic independent report at the start is worth having.
Common questions
Do I need an appraisal for a divorce?
Not always. If both spouses agree on the value, no appraisal is required. Once there is disagreement, a buyout, or a court process, an independent appraisal is the usual way to settle the number, and a retrospective one may be needed if the law in your province looks at the date of separation.
What is a retrospective appraisal in a separation?
An appraisal with an effective date in the past, typically the date of separation. The appraiser uses sales from around that date, not current sales, and describes the property as it was then, as far as it can be established.
Who pays for a divorce appraisal?
Whoever instructs the appraiser pays, unless agreed otherwise. With a joint retainer the fee is usually split. The cost depends on the number of effective dates, the property type, and whether the appraiser will be expected to testify.
Can the other spouse refuse the appraiser access to the house?
They can make it difficult. Access is normally arranged through the lawyers, and if it is refused an appraiser can prepare an exterior-only report with stated limitations. A court can order access if it comes to that.