Defacto Family Lawyer Central Coast

For the purposes of family law, a defacto relationship relationship is stated to be a situation where you and your former partner, who may be of the same or opposite sex, had a relationship as a couple living together on a genuine domestic basis. Your relationship is not a de facto relationship if you were legally married to one another or if you are related by family.

This definition is based on Section 4AA of the Family Law Act 1975. Both the federal circuit court and the family courts of Australia deal with disputes concerning property acquired and children of defacto relationships which have resulted in separation. Generally, the orders must be applied for within 2 years of the end of the relationship. If this time period is not met, it is necessary to apply for the court to permit the making of the application.

To make a defacto application, you must satisfy a series of criteria which are stated in the Family Law Act 1975 (Cth). If you think you are in a position to make a defacto application, we will need to assess your application against these criteria before lodging the application.