Money & Property

Arranging maintenance with your husband, wife or civil partner

Most couples who are ending a marriage or civil partnership manage to agree between themselves about money without going to court.

If you both agree to financial support, this is known as a “voluntary agreement”. It can be a written or verbal agreement.

If you want to make your agreement legally binding, you´ll need to apply to court for a ´Consent Order´. A judge will check that the agreement is fair and reasonable. If it is, the judge will approve it to make it legally binding.

Splitting personal possessions

You should try to decide between you how to divide personal possessions and the contents of the family home. You can use insurance values you already have for antiques, collectables or jewellery, as a guide. You could get them valued by an expert (although this can involve a fee).

Managing mortgages and property you own

If you have a mortgage together, you should speak to your mortgage company to let them know you are going through a divorce or ending a civil partnership. They will be able to advise you on the best way to handle the change.

The different choices available to you include:

• continuing to pay the mortgage together
• transferring all the mortgage to one person
• paying off the mortgage