Help needed to clarify options available to us

[Cambam2010]

My DP moved out of his marital home 2.5 years ago. His wife lives in the house with their 2 sons (15 and very soon to be 18). My DP pays maintenance above what he would be legally expected to pay and he pays half of the rent. He also makes all the repayments on a loan taken out to carry out maintenance on the property.

My DP now lives with his mother. We have been together for 2 years. We can not live together because I am in receipt of working tax credit and my DP's wages can not make up the difference if I was to stop claiming.

I am a single mum to a 6 year old boy. When me and my exH split up we sold our house, split the equity and went our separate ways. We get on very well but the only thing that joins us is our son and the maintenance that my exH pays.

I'm struggling to see how me and my DP can move forward as he says that his house can not be sold until both his sons are 18 or until his wife wants to sell. Financially, we can not move on whilst any money he may have is tied up within his house.

This is not a question about how to stop or reduce payments to his wife or sons. It's more a question of how can I get my head around the fact that we can not move on with our lives together under the current circumstances?

[mummylib]

My house was sold underneath me and my two children (4 and 2) just because my ex husband stopped paying the mortgage so it sounds like your partner is being fair and reasonable rather than it being the law that he pays until they are 18..