Difficult one, this, and you have raised an issue which could well be relevant in my own case.
As you may know, it is quite unusual for the Court to order a sale of the family home when there are dependent children involved, and for obvious reasons. But it is not impossible, if there is sufficient equity to buy accommodation which is suitable for the needs of the PWC and the children. However I feel that the fact that you have been able to buy accommodation on your own account will go against you.
May I make a suggestion - and it is no more than that, just a suggestion, which you should most certainly discuss with your solicitor first - that you go for what is known in the trade as a Mesher order, which in plain language means that she has the right to live there until the youngest child reaches 18, when the house is sold and the proceeds divided. At this stage, when there are no longer any dependent children involved, it becomes impossible for her to argue that she has a need for a five bedroom house, and courts do not like to make an order which deprives the husband of all his interest in the
FMH. I hesitate to make such a suggestion, because I can see your point. In my case ownership is not an issue - my wife had her house in North Carolina before we were married and even though I could probably claim a share after a long marriage, I don't want to .
I think in principle your point about expenses is well made, and clearly, as a matter of principle, there must be an understanding that the wife's needs should be reasonable. Going back to my case, and my wife, she has to have a car in the USA, but it doesn't have to be a Cadillac ! ( I should add that she's quite happy with a Ford !! ) . I'm a bit confused by the maintenance figures you quote. You know about child support and that is fixed by reference to a statutory formula, so the issue is how much extra you pay on top of that. I think it is likely that you will have to pay something extra, but not £1200 pcm on top of the child support. But can you clarify this for me ?
Mike 100468