Divorce & Separation Appraisals in Toronto
When a marriage ends, the family home is usually the biggest number in the property settlement. Its value is set as of the date you separated, not today, and every $10,000 can move what one spouse pays the other by $5,000. We provide a signed, unbiased appraisal you can share with your spouse, your lawyers and the court.
Due to their nature and complexities, divorce appraisals are quoted individually. No cost or obligation for a quote, and your exact fee in writing within one business day.
- Date of Separation or TodayFor equalization, buyouts, or both
- 2–3 DaysFrom inspection to signed report
- UnbiasedSame value, whoever orders it
- CUSPAP 2026Canadian Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice, E&O Insured
Every report is signed byJacklin Park, P.App., CRACanadian Residential Appraiser, designated by the Appraisal Institute of Canada12,000+ appraisals over 10+ yearsVerify on the Appraisal Institute of Canada directory ↗
When Do Separating Couples Need an Appraisal?
In Ontario, married spouses don’t split the house itself. Each spouse works out their net family property: roughly, what they own minus what they owe on the date of separation, less what they had on the wedding day. The spouse with the higher number pays the other half the difference, called the equalization payment. The home’s value on the date of separation is often the largest piece. Which date you need depends on what you’re deciding.
Equalizing Net Family Property
Married spouses list the home at its value on the date of separation in the sworn financial statements they exchange. If the home is in one spouse’s name, that value flows straight into the equalization payment.
Date needed: date of separationOne Spouse Is Buying Out the Other
When one of you keeps the home, the buyout price is usually half the equity, meaning the home’s value minus the mortgage, at today’s value. An independent number, with no commission at stake, keeps the negotiation about facts.
Date needed: usually today, set with your lawyerProperty Owned Before the Marriage
A home brought into the marriage that is still the family home at separation gets no deduction. But a home sold during the marriage, or a rental owned on the wedding day, can be deducted at its value on that date.
Date needed: date of marriage, plus separationCommon-Law Couples
Ontario’s equalization rules apply only to married spouses. Common-law partners generally divide a home by whose name is on the title, the official ownership record, or through a claim their lawyers set out, and that still starts with a fair value.
Date needed: usually today, set with your lawyerMediation or Collaborative Family Law
Couples working it out together often order one appraisal jointly. It costs less than two, and both of you start the conversation from the same number.
Date needed: as agreed, often both datesThe Value Is Disputed in Court
When two numbers are on the table, a judge looks at how each was reached. A report prepared to CUSPAP, Canada’s appraisal standards, by an appraiser who can explain it, carries weight that a listing estimate can’t.
Date needed: set by your lawyer · appraisals for court casesA Worked Example:
One Home, One Payment
Anna bought a semi-detached house in Leslieville in 2012 and married Tom in 2015. It was their family home until they separated in June 2025. The house is in Anna’s name, and she wants to keep it. Their lawyers need its value on the date of separation to work out the equalization payment.
- Property
- Semi-detached, Leslieville
- Value at the wedding, 2015
- $800,000
- Mortgage at separation
- $300,000
- Worth today, 2026
- $1,310,000
- Value on the date of separation
- Needed
| Step 1: The home in Anna’s net family property | |
| Value on the date of separation From the appraisal | $1,250,000 |
| Less: mortgage on the date of separation | −$300,000 |
| Less: value on the wedding day ($800,000), not deducted because it was the family home | $0 |
| Home equity counted for Anna | $950,000 |
| Step 2: What it adds to the equalization payment | |
| Home equity counted for Tom | $0 |
| Difference between them | $950,000 |
| Half the difference, payable by Anna to Tom | $475,000 |
Why the Separation-Date Value Has to Be Right
Tom receives $5,000 less for every $10,000 the value is short. His lawyer is likely to challenge it, which means delay and a second appraisal.
Anna pays what she owes, Tom receives what he’s entitled to, and both lawyers work from the same signed report.
Anna overpays $5,000 for every extra $10,000, money she may have to borrow against the house to pay.
Simplified: assumes Anna and Tom were married with no marriage contract, the home was in Anna’s name alone and was still their family home (the “matrimonial home” in law) on the date of separation, and nothing else they own differs. It ignores the estimated costs of selling, like real estate commission, which are sometimes deducted. Had Anna sold this house and bought another before they separated, the $800,000 could have been deducted, and a date-of-marriage appraisal would matter. Your lawyers will apply the rules to your situation.
How a Date-of-Separation Appraisal Works
Valuing a home as of the date of separation isn’t guesswork. It follows the same standards as any appraisal, with one difference. The evidence has to come from that period, using Toronto sales from the months around the date you separated.
Confirm the Valuation Date
Usually the date you separated, as your lawyers or agreement set it. If you don’t agree on the date, or also need today’s value for a buyout, we can report more than one date in one quote.
Value the Home as It Was
We inspect the home and note anything that changed after the separation, like a new kitchen paid for by one spouse, so it is valued as it stood on that date.
Use Sales From That Period
We compare your home to similar Toronto homes that sold in the months around that date, so the value reflects the market back then, not today’s prices.
Deliver the Signed Report
You, and anyone you name as an intended user (someone the report is prepared for, who may rely on it), such as your lawyer, your spouse’s lawyer or your mediator, get the signed report. It shows the sales we compared your home to, how we adjusted for differences like size and condition, and how we reached the value.
What We’ll Need From You
- The property address and the date of separation, or the dates your lawyers want valued
- Your contact details, and anyone else who should receive the report, such as your lawyer, your spouse’s lawyer or your mediator
- Access to the home, arranged with whoever lives there now
- Any renovations or changes since the separation, so we can value the home as it was
Before We Visit
The inspection usually takes about 30 minutes. A few simple steps make it go smoothly and keep the report easy to rely on.
- Agree on who lets us in. If you both still live in the home, it’s best if you’re both there, or neither of you is, so no one wonders what was said. If one of you has moved out, arrange access through your lawyers or mediator.
- Send us a written list. Email us any renovations, repairs or known problems, with dates and receipts if you have them. A written list is easier to rely on than a conversation at the door, and your lawyer can share it with the other side if needed.
- Leave the home as it is. Tidy is fine. Please hold off on renovations, repairs or staging until we’ve been. For a separation-date value, we value the home as it was then anyway.
- Let us do the work. Answer our questions and point out anything we can’t see, like a new roof or a basement leak. We don’t discuss the value on site, and we can’t adjust a number because anyone asks, including the person who ordered the report.
Sample Report
This is a real Best Home Value report: 34 pages, prepared to CUSPAP, the Canadian Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice, and signed by Jacklin Park. It’s what you, and anyone you name, receive.
More From the Report
Addresses, names, client details and the signature are hidden to protect our client’s privacy. Photos and maps are blurred.
How Your Fee Is Set
Due to their nature and complexities, divorce appraisals are priced on a quote-only basis. Your fee depends on:
- The type and size of the property
- The date the value is needed for, since a past date means reconstructing the market and the home as they were then
- How many dates you need, such as the date of separation for equalization and today for a buyout
- Your deadline, and whether testimony may be needed
Tell us what you need, and you’ll have your exact fee in writing within one business day, with no cost or obligation. Need more than one date? Ask for them together in one quote.
Who We Work For
Our client is whoever orders the appraisal: one spouse, both of you together, or a lawyer. The report goes to our client and to anyone named as an intended user, such as your lawyer, your spouse’s lawyer or your mediator.
Who pays never changes the value. Canada’s appraisal standards require an unbiased opinion, and our fee doesn’t depend on the number. That’s why a report ordered by one spouse can still be one both sides rely on.
If the value is questioned later, Jacklin, who signed your report, answers questions from you and the people you’ve named. If your case is headed to court and you may need testimony, ask when you request your quote.
Working to a disclosure or court deadline? Tell us when you request a quote, and we’ll plan the inspection around it.
If One of You Disagrees With the Value
An appraisal is a professional opinion, and you’re entitled to understand how it was reached. Here’s what happens if the value is questioned, whether by you or the other side.
Check the Facts
If something in the report is wrong, like the square footage, a missed renovation or the effective date (the date the value applies to), tell us. We correct factual errors at no charge and reissue the report to everyone named on it.
Ask Us to Explain
Jacklin will walk you, or your lawyer, through the sales we compared your home to and how we adjusted for the differences. If your spouse’s lawyer is named as an intended user, we can answer their questions too.
Send Us Anything We Missed
If you know of a sale from that period that we didn’t use, send it. We’ll review it and explain in writing whether it changes the value, and why.
Get a Second Opinion if You Need One
If you’re still far apart, another designated appraiser can review the report. Your mediator, your lawyers or ultimately the court will decide how to use the two opinions.
One thing we won’t do is change a value because someone is unhappy with it, even the person who ordered it. That independence is what makes the report worth having.
How It Works
Six steps from your first message to a signed report, and you can check where things stand at any point.
Request a Quote
Tell us the address, the property type and why you need the appraisal.
Get Your Fee
You’ll have the exact fee in writing within one business day.
Book the Visit
Choose an inspection time that suits you, Monday to Saturday.
Inspection
The appraiser measures, photographs and notes the home’s condition.
Analysis
We choose recent sales of similar nearby homes, adjust for the differences, and weigh them to reach a value.
Signed Report
Delivered 2 to 3 days after the inspection, with the appraiser available for questions.
Track Your Appraisal
Already booked? See which stage your report is at, any time, without having to call.
Track My AppraisalExample order. Report expected Thursday.
Divorce Appraisal Questions
Can we share one appraisal instead of each getting our own?
Yes. You can order one appraisal together, as joint clients, and both receive the report. It usually saves money and arguments. If only one of you orders it, the value is still unbiased, and you can share the report with your spouse or their lawyer.
Can you value the home as of our separation date?
Yes. Valuing a home as of a past date, called a retrospective appraisal, is routine. We value the home as of the date of separation using sales and market conditions from that period, not today’s prices.
What if we don’t agree on the date of separation?
We can value the home as of two dates in one report, so your lawyers can work from whichever date is agreed or decided. Ask for both when you request your quote.
Only one of us lives in the home. Is that a problem?
No. We just need someone to give us access for the inspection, and we don’t discuss the value with anyone on site.
The home has been renovated since we separated. Does that change the value?
Not for the separation date. We value the home as it stood then, so work done afterwards isn’t counted. Tell us what changed and when, with photos if you have them.
We were common-law, not married. Do we need an appraisal?
Often, yes. Ontario’s equalization rules don’t apply to common-law partners, but if you own the home together, or one partner has a claim to it, you still need a fair value to settle a buyout or sale. Your lawyer can confirm which date to use.
Can we use our property tax assessment or a realtor’s opinion instead?
Your property tax assessment from MPAC, Ontario’s property assessment agency, is based on a fixed date that is often years in the past, and a realtor’s opinion is a pricing tool from someone who may hope to list the home. Neither looks back to your separation date. If the value is ever questioned, a signed, independent appraisal is far easier to rely on.
Will the court accept your report?
The report is signed by a designated member of the Appraisal Institute of Canada and prepared to CUSPAP (the Canadian Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice), which family lawyers and courts expect. Jacklin is also E&O insured: she carries errors and omissions insurance, professional liability coverage for her work. If your case is in court and you may need testimony, ask us when you request your quote.
Who pays for the appraisal?
It’s up to you. Many couples split the cost of one shared report, and some agreements make one spouse responsible. Your lawyers can confirm how to handle it.
Can our lawyers or mediator get a copy?
Yes. Tell us who should receive the report when you request your quote, and we’ll name them as intended users, so they can rely on it.
How long does a divorce appraisal take?
Most reports are delivered within 2 to 3 days of the inspection. You’ll have the fee in writing within one business day of your request.
How much does a divorce appraisal cost?
Due to their nature and complexities, divorce appraisals are priced on a quote-only basis. The fee depends on the property, the date or dates you need valued, your deadline, and whether testimony may be needed. Send us the details and you’ll have your exact fee in writing within one business day, with no cost or obligation.
Separating? Start From a Number You Can Both Trust.
Send the address and the date of separation. You’ll have your fee in writing within one business day.
We appraise homes across Toronto and the GTA, from Etobicoke and the Annex to Leslieville and Scarborough. See every neighbourhood we serve.
No cost or obligation. Your exact fee within one business day. Your details are used only to prepare your quote and are never shared with the other party without your say-so.
Prefer to talk? Call 647-886-8384, Monday to Saturday.
Official Sources
- Government of Ontario: Dividing property when a marriage or common-law relationship ends
- Family Law Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. F.3
- Family Law Rules, O. Reg. 114/99 (Rule 20.2, expert opinion evidence)
- Steps to Justice: Who gets to stay in our home if we separate?
This page is general information, not legal advice. Best Home Value provides appraisals; please consult a family lawyer about your situation.