Deed name plus payment path plus parental funds — not ‘whose chop is on the fangchanzheng’ alone.
Housing is usually the largest marital asset. Courts look at when it was bought, whose funds paid, whether parents contributed, mortgage status, and any agreement. SPC interpretation practice on parental contributions and post-marriage purchases is fact-heavy — city articles on Interpretation II stay as city pieces, not this wiki. Outcomes include award to one spouse with equalisation, sale, or continued co-ownership in awkward cases. Overseas homes add enforcement and proof issues. Do not treat a Shanghai blog percentage as a national formula.
4 questions before you choose the route.
This page identifies the right question and evidence. It does not determine the legal outcome on a reader’s facts.
When bought and with whose money?
Pre-marital vs during, separate vs community.
SourceDid parents pay?
Gift to one vs to both vs loan.
ParentsMortgage and occupancy?
Who lives there with children.
UseIs the land overseas?
Proof and enforcement change.
WhereWorking rule: Map the regulated role before marketing or launch in China.
The signal ledger.
These facts move the question beyond a label and into a product, money-flow and control analysis.
Bring a compact evidence docket—not a pitch deck.
Give a compliance team or counsel the operating facts that reveal the perimeter.
Questions people ask before they build.
Short answers for orientation. The right result can change with the service model and current rules.
Will the parent who paid keep the house?
Not automatically. Documentation and whether it was a gift to one spouse control much of the fight.
Can the court order a sale?
Yes in appropriate cases. Equalisation payments are also common.
Primary authorities
Reviewed sources support orientation, not a fact-specific assessment.