What happens when one party keeps all the furniture/technology etc and the other starts again from scratch?

[ZigZagZigg]

I’ll be the one moving out and starting from scratch, I’ll have to purchase basically everything and furnish a whole house. I’ll be going into a council house (furnished tenancy) and also buying a number of new items. I’ll also gradually replace the council’s furniture and buy my own.

I’m leaving everything behind - I won’t strip the house as our children will still be living in the marital home 50/50.

Where do I stand legally if I’m letting soon to be ex keep everything?

I have £3000 to furnish and purchase flooring for a 3 bedroom house. (Not from ex, this is money I’ve been awarded from a benevolent fund)

Thank you.

In our case, EX moved out leaving me with the (primarily IKEA) furniture. He spent about 20K furnishing his apartment from the joint assets. In effect I paid for half of it.

I’m not sure what you mean by where you stand legally? You’re allowing ex to keep it, and you’re moving into a furnished home yourself, so what is the issue?

What I mean is that where do I stand as we purchased everything in the house jointly? I’ll be moving into a furnished council house which means I’ll have to pay extra rent every week for the furniture which I will hopefully slowly replace (buy new) over time. Will ex pay me an amount for the furniture we bought together or does it just get divided up during separation?

I think you should ask for a contribution towards furnishing your house. I’m having to move out and I gave away things like my TV and dining table when we moved in together. I’m going to have to buy big ticket items again and I’ve asked for a small amount in a settlement proposal that I’ve sent to my ex. He might not agree to it though but I think it’s worth asking.

Have things broken down so completely that you can't discuss this? When my ex ( husband) moved out, he was welcome to take anything he wanted bar the children's bedroom furniture. He took most of the living room furniture, a bed, and I gifted him some other bits.

Thinking as an example - we have a chest freezer in the marital home which would be difficult to move and is needed for when ex has the children. I’ll be buying my own;could I claim anything from ex for the purchase of a new one if I’m letting him have it? (Just an example)

I’m planning on separating with H. Just looking at all the practicalities for when we eventually separate. Thanks

You don’t really claim from ex, no, it’s more a case of what’s in the pot to trade off. What assets are there? Equity in mortgaged home? Savings? You would typically list the items in question & then try to balance things. So if he’s keeping XY&Z then you can agree to keep AB&C or £x of the savings to cover your own XY&Z. It depends what is available though, you can’t trade what you haven’t got.

It's between the two of you. I had to list the value of household items BUT that is the value of what you would get for them secondhand.

I would actually take the DC furniture with you to make their new home feel more familiar whereas new furniture in their existing room will still feel familiar.

Technically, I guess you're entitled to half the secondhand value of the goods in the marital home. But second hand goods are worth very little.

You can't get him to pay for half of the new goods you want to buy, if that's what you're asking.

The council is holding a furnished council house empty for you? And a benevolent society has earmarked £3k for you to furnish it? All for a separation that will happen “eventually”?

Where do you live?

Anyway, yes you can add it in to negotiations.

No, they aren’t holding it for me. I’m on the waiting list then when offered one I’ll probably have to go for a furnished tenancy which the council charge you for.

It’s a benevolent fund linked to my profession that helps members in emergency situations such as Illness or marriage breakdown. I’m leaving my husband due to DA.

Why are you so concerned that the dc feel comfortable in their current home by having all the familiar things there but not concerned that everything will be alien to them in your home where they will be 50:50.
if you split everything up between the two houses then both places would have familiarity and both of you will share the costs if buying new replacements

If it’s DA/DV, then don’t attempt to negotiate with him yourself and don’t hang about planning a separation for any longer than necessary. Get out, be safe, and let someone else do the negotiating.

Do you know how long the waiting list is for a three-bedroomed council house in your area?