Source: http://rabideaulaw.ca/tag/occupation-rent-occupation-rent-exclusive-possession-married-spouses-spouse-matrimonial-home-non-occupying-spouse-common-law-spouse/
Timestamp: 2019-04-21 01:08:27+00:00

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In my last blog post I discussed the concept of exclusive possession and how a spouse may be able to claim such a remedy.
Now this is interesting. If a married spouse is granted exclusive possession of the home, they may then be required to pay occupation rent to the other spouse!
The order of events is important here. First there has to be the Order granting exclusive possession to one spouse, THEN there can be an Order requiring that person with possession to pay occupation rent to the other spouse.
In my exclusive possession blog post linked above, I discussed how Common Law spouses do not have the same protections that Married spouses do under the Family Law Act. This same principal is true regarding occupation rent.
Common law spouses must rely on the common law in order to claim exclusive possession or occupation rent. As stated above, married spouses first need an Order for exclusive possession before the other spouse can claim occupation rent.
There is no need to demonstrate co-tenancy for an ex-married spouse to claim exclusive possession or occupation rent; however, a common law spouse is required to demonstrate [co-tenancy]; i.e., that they are an owner of the property, OR that they have an equitable interest in the property.
What this means is that the common law spouse has to show they have an ownership interest in the property, or that they put some value towards the property that would entitle them to an ownership interest. Without this, the common law spouse is unlikely to have a claim for exclusive possession or occupation rent.
… In the case of joint tenants or tenants in common the claim [for occupation rent] is founded on ouster or ejectment, for they stand in no contractual or landlord-and-tenant relationship to each other …. The right to recover for use and occupation is by way of damages, upon the case for ejectment and trespass. I hold that in the case of joint tenants the right to recover for use and occupation is on the same basis.
How do we calculate occupation rent?
The general approach taken by courts is to begin by assessing the appraised rental value for the property at the time that an individual has exclusive possession of the property. The courts will then consider the responsibility of the parties towards the upkeep of the home, which can include, taxes, utilitites and other carrying costs of the home.
This demonstrates that the occupation rent payable by one spouse to another can vary depending on the home, mortgage, and upkeep costs of the home itself. This will have to be assessed on a case by case basis.
 Higgins v. Higgins, 2001 CanLII 28223, 19 R.F.L.(5th) 300 (Ont.S.C.J.); Wimalaratnam v. Wimalartnam, 2010 ONSC 4491; Chowdhury v. Chowdhury, 2010 ONSC 781.
 Jones v. Jones, 2000 CanLII 22524, 8 R.F.L.(5th) 107 (Ont.S.C.J.); Cerenzia v. Cerenzia, 2015 ONSC 7305 (at para. 79).
 Ricciuto v. Lecuyer, 2011 ONSC 6070 (Div.Ct.).

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