Your opinion please

I have split - i bring home £3300 a month. The STBX house bills (her mortgage, water, gas, electricity, petrol, council tax etc) come to £ 900 - £1100 per month so the extra £600 is for food etc to reach £1700 per month. She will keep the house (£64k equity), the 2 children and i keep a couple of useless pensions.

Is £1700 a month too much do you think?

What would a court give if i was to go there? – could i keep the house if im paying for it, we are both on the mortgage anyway.

Whats a ball park figure to pay maintenance and childrens money on a monthly salary of £3300. She doesn’t work and has the 2 children?

A lot will depend on her reasonable needs, and her own resources.

How old are the childnre? Is it reasonable for your ex to look for work, with a view both to gradually becoming independent , and to becoming entitled to support such as Tax Credits in the mean time?

If the children are still very young an it isn't practical for her to work yet she sohould be able to claim IS and to get help with things such as council tax etc.

It would be unusual for you to be paying over half your income to her in maintenance.

The start point would be £660 in child maintenance (20% of your net income)

I think some SM is likely to be reasonable in the short term, to give her the chance to get back into work and mocve towards becoming more independent.

So far as the hoseu is concerned, it may be that a Mesher type order, where she would be able to remain living in the hosue while the children are still at school, or until she remarries or cohabits, and you are then entitled to a lump sum calculated as a % of the property value, may be the appropriate way forward.

It would be helpful to a few more detailsm such as your respective ages and that of the children