Tendencies of the Contractual Regulation of Family Property Relations between Spouses with due regard to the Development of Legislation and Judicial Practice

Abstract

The author makes an attempt to determine tendencies for the development of the legal regulation of property relations between spouses based on the approved amendments and expected changes in the legal regulation, established jurisprudence and with due regard to the goals of family law regulation and models of contractual regulation of property relations between spouses enshrined in positive law. The paper considers in detail the following trends: enforcement and development of provisions concerning contractual regulation of property relations between spouses and their common property, law enforcement and development provisions concerning contractual regulation of the property relations between spouses for the provision of mutual maintenance.The author comes to the following conclusions. Firstly, the family law regulation of contractual relations concerning the common property of spouses and law enforcement as a whole comply with the goals of the family law regulation. Secondly, civil law regulation and law enforcement in terms of contractual property relations between spouses strengthen the "pro-creditor" approach and limit contractual freedom of spouses. Thirdly, the prospects for regulating the legal and contractual regime (with the stronger "pro-creditor" approach) may result in changes in the systemic interpretation and law enforcement of provisions concerning the contractual regulation of spousal property and they can contradict the goals of family law. Fourthly, the regulation of contractual relations between spouses concerning maintenance shows sufficient stability and general conformity with the goals of family law regulation, but does not exclude the search for options to expand its limits through the rules of the Family Code of the Russian Federation, while the practice of applying these provisions indicates a "pro-creditor" approach and non-compliance with the goals of family law regulation.