At A complete loss

TBagpuss

It would be extremely unusual to have a situation where you were expected to pay the mortgage on a property you were not living in, long term.
Speak to a solicitor.
You may also find the Wikivorce forum useful but do get proper advice from a solicitor.

It is unusual to pay spousal maintenance (as opposed to child support) to an ex who is cohabiting, and this would also be relevant to an assesment of her needs.

So far as debt is concerned, the first issue is whether it should be treated as joint debt debt, which is about how the money was spent - i.e was it used for the family as a whole, or for your personal benefit.

The second question is what each of you can afford. So, it may be reasonable for you to pay the debt if you have higher earnings, but it will be part of the over all picture including the question of what interest each of you has in the house.

On a purely practical level, it may be worth speaking to you lender to see whether they would consider a payment holiday or temporary transfer from repayment to interest only on the mortgage, to give you a breathing space.

DigForVictory

Colleague going through a divorce has arranged to have his legal fees paid when the house sells.
I don't think that is standrard practice, but some solicitors do have the discretion to make such arrangements.
All the best.

Thegirl

Hi, sorry for your situation.

As for what your wife is being told. It is rubbish. It freaks you out, it is unpleasant to hear, but it is rubbish. She has no entitlement to everything and you nothing. That is not how the law works.

What you are paying currently is not sustainable. Few can afford to give away 70% of their income. You need to assess your needs realistically and work out how much you need to live, not just give away what you *think* you need to pay and then cope with what is left.

Have a look on www.wikivorce.com, genuinely an invaluble resource. Have a read, do some research then pose the same scenario on their forum. Best thing you will ever do.

Good luck.