There are several factors a court will consider when deciding how to divide property acquired during an unmarried committed intimate relationship (CIR) if the parties separate, including whether they continuously cohabitated, how long they were together, if they pooled resources, and their intent when acquiring the property. A lawsuit to divide CIR property must be filed within 3 years of separation and will only consider equitable division of property acquired during the relationship, not prior assets or spousal support. Given limitations, a family law attorney familiar with CIR property issues should be consulted.

1. COMMITTED INTIMATE RELATIONSHIPS
INFORMATION YOU NEED TO KNOW
Committed Intimate Relationships (CIR) bring a unique set of circumstances. While
Washington is a community property state, this is only applied to marriages. So if you have
acquired property during a CIR and are not married, what is Washington’s stance on the
division of this property in the event of a break up?
There are several things the court considers when deciding what should happen to the
property in a CIR.
1) Did the parties have continuous cohabitation?
2) How long were the parties in a relationship?
3) What was the purpose of the relationship?
4) Did the parties pool together their resources and services?
5) What was the intent of the parties at the time the property was acquired?
There are limitations in an action for property division as follows:
1) The suit must be filed within three (3) years of the separation. This date is
determined when one party in the relationship has chosen to end the relationship.
2) Property acquired prior to the relationship will be considered separate property.
3) Children will not be a factor in the determination of an equitable property
division.
4) There is no ability to claim attorney’s fees or future financial support for a party.
5) Non-property will not be addressed and only equitable claims will be considered.
6) There are no intestate rights in a CIR.
The following may or may not impact the court’s decision:
1) If either party is still married to another individual outside of this relationship
Limited License Legal Technicians (LLLT) are limited to the areas of family law that they may
practice. A CIR where there is a question regarding property division is an area in which a
LLLT may not practice.
I would strongly suggest contacting a family law attorney that is familiar with CIR’s and
concerns about property division.
Further information is available through Washington Law Help at:
http://www.washingtonlawhelp.org/files/C9D2EA3F-0350-D9AF-ACAE-
BF37E9BC9FFA/attachments/3922BA34-A607-0141-DD46-0DA1A1E7BC31/3920en_filing-to-
divide-property-and-debts-unmarried-couple.pdf