Have you been too skint to separate? What did you do????

[Redliquorice]

I'd really appreciate some advice and/or experiences here. DH and I are going through a really rocky time. Have decided to give each other a bit of space and time to think about how we want to proceed. Now sleeping in separate rooms, getting on with it but trying not to let it effect our 3 DC. However, should we decide to separate I don't really know how we can. We'd really struggle to sell our house in the current climate, we would have a tiny amount of equity and so much debt that I probably wouldn't get a mortgage on my own. Sorry for sounding completely naive but how do people do this? I am really scared for my, and my children's future.

Couldn't you rent a house?

rent?

I@m still living in the marital home - but the estate agent is coming round to value tomorrow, then it's going onto the market, whether it sells before it's repossessed it another matter entirely.

exH is already living in a rented house, and I will be moving to rented sometime early next year.

Thanks for your comments so far. I am completely ignorant with stuff like this. I work part time and I don't know if I could even afford to rent a house!!! Would I be entitled to claim any benefits?? Sorry for sounding so stupid...think I'm in panic mode!

it would depend on how much you earn as to whether you would get housing benefit or not but you should get working tax credit, child tax credit, your council tax would be cut as you'd be a single person and you should get maintanance off your DH. I don't think he would be entitled to much though. Unless of course the children were to stay with him then it would be the other way around.

no he probably wouldn't be entitled to much (unless he's also on a low wage). However he could do what my ex did - he initially just rented a room in house, he's now living in house that he's renting with a friend.

Have a look on here it should give you a rough idea of what you could qualify for.

Thanks so much!

it is actually possible to legally separate whilst still living under the same roof. If you are sure it is over and want to go down the divorce route in the future you could commence the 2 year separation period required whilst still under the same roof. As you say he is in the spare room it would be possible. The only difficult part (apart from it being awkward!) is that you would have to tell the Court that you hadn't done any of his washing, ironing, cleaning and cooking etc. When you've got kids together, its a bit difficult to not to that for the sake of the kids.

You wont be able to claim housing benefit if you joint own the property as you cant own a house and claim housing benefit.

no she won't happymummy - but I'm presuming that the OP and her H won't be able to afford to keep the house so it would have to be sold- therefore she would be entitled to HB.