9. What happens to the matrimonial home in an Ontario divorce?
The matrimonial home receives special treatment under Ontario family law. If a home
qualifies as a matrimonial home, its full value may be included in the owner-spouse’s
net family property, even if one spouse owned it before marriage. A spouse generally
cannot deduct the marriage-date value of a matrimonial home in the same way as other
property.[^7] The home may be sold, one spouse may buy out the other, or one spouse
may seek exclusive possession in appropriate circumstances.
