What property and debts don get divided?
Separate property continues to belong to the person who owned it. Separate property is essentially any property you owned before the marriage, received as a gift specifically to you during the marriage, and property you inherited during the marriage. The proceeds from separate property also remain separate. For example, if you inherited a house from your parents while you were married and rented it out, then the rent proceeds remain separate. Similarly, debts you owed before marriage continue to be separate debts. Problems arise when separate property or debts get “commingled” or mixed up with community debts, such as when you owned a home before marriage that both of you live in now and use your salaries to pay the mortgage and taxes after marriage.
