You ask if you can get the
Decree Absolute without settling the finances. The answer to this question is yes. Ideally the finances ought to be settled when the marriage comes to an end. But this world is not perfect. The fact of having a new partner may, in practice, make financial negotiations much harder because the ex wife may be resentful and therefore not too inclined to co-operate.
Your second question is whether there is a time limit on a
Decree Nisi. Er, yes and no. In theory there is not, but if the decree is more than twelve months old it is no longer automatic that an absolute would be granted with no questions asked. In some cases a length delay in applying for the absolute might indicate the possibility of a reconciliation, which, if the ground for divorce was adultery, might mean the ground was no longer available.
Thirdly, it may seem like a statement of the blindingly obvious, but you cannot have a
Consent Order without consent. So you have to agree first and after that doing the consent order is relatively easy.
Fourthly, your own income and assets are safe. You are not a party to the divorce and the Court cannot attack your assets directly. However it could affect his position quite a bit. It will be assumed that you will pay your fair share of the household bills and to that extent your new partner will not need to buy or rent accommodation on his own account.
This will, almost inevitably, weaken any claim he might have against the former
marital home, simply because his housing needs would have been met and all the Court has to consider is the needs of the wife. So, indirectly, you could be sucked into it, and you might be asked to give evidence as to your means.
And if you get married it is absolutely crucial that any financial claims your new partner might wish to make are made BEFORE he applies for the
Decree Absolute. I know using capital letters in this kind of thing is not done, but if he hasn''t made any claims, he must do it before marriage and not afterwards.
Now, your new partner has a problem. I think it''s rather like what Magnus Magnusson used to say, I''ve started so I''ll finish. But he may not want to complete the work before the finances have been sorted, otherwise he might have zilch to show for his efforts. On the face of it seems reasonable to me that if he built the thing, he should have something to show for his labour.
LMM