Dear easyStorage

Should I buy a new property before my divorce is finalised? And what will storage cost me if I don’t or if there’s a delay in purchase?

Morgan, Portsmouth

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Let’s take a look at the first of those questions first.

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Should I buy a new property before my divorce is finalised?

Obviously we’re storage specialists not legal folk, but we help out enough people in exactly your situation and can tell you what we’ve observed/learned.

When breakups happen, it can take a long time to resolve matters. In many cases, the split is 50/50 and takes into consideration pensions, savings, belongings, homes. Life becomes more complicated if one person wasn’t working, or if children are involved, because maintenance also becomes a consideration.

Divorce will happen legally in three stages - a divorce petition, explaining reasons for divorce; a decree nisi, notice of things being about to happen; and, finally, a decree absolute, making the divorce official in the eyes of the law. Your solicitor should advise you of the process at each stage.

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And here’s the important bit when deciding whether to buy now or not: whether you agree things between you, or whether an order is given by a judge, the final court order will identify who should receive what. If this order is not made, or not made in a certain way, any future assets could be claimed by your ex, even years later.

Everything you both owned during the marriage will be seen as ‘marital assets’ when deciding what is a fair settlement as part of your divorce proceedings. This includes assets acquired between separation and the final court order. The name that these are in makes no difference.

Your solicitor can advise, but in general terms, if you were to buy a house before that final order is made, the court may take the value of the new house into account as part of their final court order decision. So unless you have some kind of legally binding agreement in writing from your ex regarding the purchase, you might well be better to wait until matters are fully settled.

Renting rather than buying, if you’re not living in the marital home, may be a better way of ensuring that you are not inadvertently building up equity against which your ex could claim. Of course, with rental prices being so high, you may take a view that you’ll lose just as much in rent.

Ultimately only you can decide, but go in with eyes open and with sound advice from a solicitor.

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What will storage of possessions cost me if I don’t buy or if there’s a delay in purchase?

What you’ll pay for storage will depend on where you live and how long you rent for.

If you and your ex can still work together, it might be a good idea to declutter immediately together, getting rid of anything that neither of you want or allocating specific thingsto each other (eg gifts from parents, things that were yours before the marriage etc). If you create an inventory of who already has/will have what, it can make allocating the rest simpler.

The new type of self storage, mobile storage as it’s called in the US, will collect your belongings, store and return to your (new) address. Obviously there may be costs if you move from Land’s End to John O’Groats and the firm is expected to deliver your goods back to you there, so go in with eyes open.

easyStorage is one of these storage types (mobile storage) and generally works out at about half of the price of traditional storage.And because you have an inventory, life is made a tiny bit easier when it comes to assets and values.

You can get an idea of cost online 24/7 (no obligation) from our website: https://book.easystorage.com/

There’s even a handy space planner there.

Alternatively, you may prefer to speak to someone about your particular situation – just call 0800 061 4091, and our team will do their best to help.

We’re sorry that you’re in this situation – divorce and separation are never easy – but we’ll do our best to make our part of it, at least, less painful. You can find more support on our dedicated easyStorage Living page all about separation.

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If you have a storage question that you’d like answered, send your questions to Alex Fulcher who’ll pick questions for the team to answer each month: Alex.Fulcher@easystorage.com or use #AskeasyStorage and tag us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.