Post divorce settlement

jennyjelly

Hello, is there anyone out there with any knowledge of divorce settlements? I could do with a bit of advice if possible.

We divorced last year after 35 years. I'm 57 and my ex husband is nearly 60. The house is in joint names and we have converted it into 2 flats which we live in. My ex has always worked full time and is expecting a good pension. I took 7 years off work to raise my children until they were both at school, then returned to work part time so I only have 10 years worth of part time pension. Am I entitled to a share of my ex's pension, and if so what proportion? Im concerned that I won't be able to manage on just my own small pension.

Thanks in advance.

JReacher1

Go and seek legal advice.

Splitting a house into two flats and living in one each seems doomed to lead to problems in the future!

jennyjelly

Why do you think it will lead to problems?

JReacher1

jennyjelly wrote: »

Why do you think it will lead to problems?

Having your divorced partner living next door will be weird.

elsien

What if one of you wants to sell up to move on/buy elsewhere eg with a new partner? How would that work with your property as it currently stands - would you both have to move in order to sell?
It may work now, but you might want to consider all eventualities when reaching a financial settlement. And you both need to do a full financial disclosure in order to judge what is fair.

TBagpuss

You may well be entitles to a share of the pension. Given the length of your marriage, the start point would be an equal split of the available assets.

You should also think about how you will deal with the house longer term. Either do a proper split into flats (planning permission, splitting the deeds etc) so that each of you can sell or move as and when you wish, or think about selling the property and splitting the proceeds so you can each go your separate ways.

Or you might (depending on the value of the different assets) end up with a deal where (say) you kept the house and your husband kept his pension, or where you had a bigger share of the equity from the house and a smaller share of the pension. There are lots of possibilities.

As a first step, I would suggest that you contact a local solicitor who is a member of Resolution (http://www.resolution.org.uk/findamember/ ) and get some initial advice, then take things from there.