Our Blogs

It may be more commonly referred to as the season of goodwill or the time to be jolly, but to those who work in the ‘divorce arena’ Christmas is far more commonly known as the holiday that precedes an influx of couples seeking a divorce.

The stress of Christmas can erode a marriage in the same way that ice erodes rock: it finds its way into pre-existing cracks and widens them further. These cracks then become an unmanageable burden and one spouse or both decide that a divorce is their only option.

With the housing market still yet to experience its long awaited recovery and with fewer and fewer people possessing any meaningful disposable income, however, many couples that decided to pursue a divorce in the new year will be unable to purchase or even rent new properties. As a result, they will be left with no option but to share the matrimonial home post-separation.

This may seem like a thoroughly unpleasant scenario, but whilst it is certainly less than ideal, sharing a home with your soon to be former spouse need not be the traumatic experience that many would expect it to be. Provided that the affected couple can maintain their respect for one another and adhere to a reasonable rota, then both can live in a relatively harmonious household.

In order to achieve such an arrangement, though, the need for the couple to engage in reasoned and dispassionate communication cannot be understated. Following the decision to divorce having been reached and it having been decided that neither spouse can afford to vacate the matrimonial home, the first thing that a couple will need to agree on are new living arrangements, starting with bedrooms.

A separate bedroom for each spouse is absolutely essential following a separation both literally and symbolically. On a literal level, it is important that each spouse has a room of their own for practical reasons. Symbolically, separate rooms indicate the finality of the couple’s impending divorce and will assist them greatly in preparing for the inevitable changes it will bring.

Following this, discussions should revolve around the division of household chores, when each spouse can use the kitchen and, if necessary, new childcare arrangements such as when each spouse should collect the children from school, assist them with their extracurricular activities and so on.

Whilst this article is far from exhaustive, it is a solid starting point from which a couple can plan cohabitation following them having decided to divorce and adhering to it might just make cohabiting after separation that little bit more tolerable. It is worth remembering that a couple can still divorce one another whilst sharing a home, but as additional information will need to be included within their divorce petition, it is advisable that any couple that still cohabit seek advice before proceeding.

If you have any question regarding divorce and cohabitation then you can contact Quickie Divorce here.