Does it have to be 50/50?

[RoseNarene]

Trying to sort finances. £70k equity in the house. I expect to remain the main carer of our girls (1 and 5) at the final hearing in two weeks.

I work part time on £17k but can earn £34k if I went back to work full time; though it would make no difference to my monthly wage what with all the childcare I would have to pay!

Ex earns about £19k full time but is training to be an accountant. God knows when that's meant to finish but if he gets a job they earn at least £30k, and that's only to begin with.

He has offered me 50% of the equity in the house to buy my share. I'm not happy with that as I feel I should have more as I have to house the children (I'm stuck living with my parents at the moment). He says I will never get more, because he is a low earner and it's only ex-wives whose husbands earn a lot more than him who get more than 50%.

Is that true? Do I have to accept 50%?

No, you don't. But you do need to take proper legal advice based on your full circumstances.

Your childcare bills will not be huge long term, so if you are looking at future rather than current earnings, you and he are still going to be on a par (I don't think you can stare indefinitely into the crystal ball if future earnings)

That if course assumes you are married. If you are not, then there will be a strong presumption that the house will be split in terms of shares in which it is owned (and how much each party paid in to deposit and/or major works)

I'm not a lawyer but based on my experiences I would have expected you to get more than 50% as there is three of you to house.

But he will be housing the girls some of the time (I assume) so he'll need a house big enough for them to stay too so that will be taken into account.