Housing options following divorce?

Masquara said :

Testfest said :

You will be hard pressed to find a duplex to rent with both halves vacant at the same time but there might be one out there as long as you are not at all fussy about the suburb you live in. You might have better luck finding two apartments in the same complex.

There is another option that I have heard of that was used by couples that already owned a family home and didn’t want to have to sell it, or have one party buy the other out. Basically they kept the house and then rented (or bought) a small one bedroom apartment or townhouse nearby. The kids then stayed in the house fulltime, and the parents are the ones who moved in and out (assuming 50/50 shared custody). This way the kids keep an unchanged home environment and don’t feel like gypsies being shunted between homes every week.

It wouldn’t work for everybody, but if you and the ex have an amicable split and don’t mind continuing to share a house (two residences really) then it might be something worth considering…

I’ve heard that story too, and I think it might be an urban myth.

Jon and Kate +8 did that. Though it was 3 residences. The main one for the kids and instead of the kids bouncing between places the parents each had a room there and would stay there when it was their turn with the kids. At that point though I’m fairly sure the kids had nannie at that point.

Masquara said :

I’ve heard that story too, and I think it might be an urban myth.

Yes, I think you are right Masquara.

As Southmouth pointed out, the majority of people do tend to re-partner which would put an end to this arrangement pretty quickly.

If 550+ is within your budget – this house seems to fit the bill.

http://www.allhomes.com.au/ah/act/sale-residential/51-bendigo-street-fisher-canberra/1316967673411

The “Birds nest” has good reviews, but needs parents with commitment.
I would be worried unless you have some formal agreement over the time with the kids.
Things change and perhaps your ex might want you to have less time with the kids.
If you get a larger family home to share, be careful the other parent doesn’t one day decide to get an order to kick you out. (Might be hastened by new partner by either of you).

I would suggest getting two places that are close to each other

Testfest said :

You will be hard pressed to find a duplex to rent with both halves vacant at the same time but there might be one out there as long as you are not at all fussy about the suburb you live in. You might have better luck finding two apartments in the same complex.

There is another option that I have heard of that was used by couples that already owned a family home and didn’t want to have to sell it, or have one party buy the other out. Basically they kept the house and then rented (or bought) a small one bedroom apartment or townhouse nearby. The kids then stayed in the house fulltime, and the parents are the ones who moved in and out (assuming 50/50 shared custody). This way the kids keep an unchanged home environment and don’t feel like gypsies being shunted between homes every week.

It wouldn’t work for everybody, but if you and the ex have an amicable split and don’t mind continuing to share a house (two residences really) then it might be something worth considering…

I’ve heard that story too, and I think it might be an urban myth.

What’s your budget?

We once rented a place that had a completely separate upstairs to downstairs, pretty much a house on top of a house. The only thing common was the garage, laundry and entry, where you’d go upstairs to the other house. Probably set up so grandparents could retire near the grandkids. Could be something like that around, but not cheap I’d imagine.
Wouldn’t it get weird when either or both of you start to see other people and run into each others new interest?

Canberra is granny flat country, you should be able to buy something with a detached second residence with a little searching

Good on you for putting the children first. So few do. Be aware however, this sort of arrangement is never viable once one parent gets re partnered. The percentages of divorcees who re partner within 2 years is in the 90s.

You will be hard pressed to find a duplex to rent with both halves vacant at the same time but there might be one out there as long as you are not at all fussy about the suburb you live in. You might have better luck finding two apartments in the same complex.

There is another option that I have heard of that was used by couples that already owned a family home and didn’t want to have to sell it, or have one party buy the other out. Basically they kept the house and then rented (or bought) a small one bedroom apartment or townhouse nearby. The kids then stayed in the house fulltime, and the parents are the ones who moved in and out (assuming 50/50 shared custody). This way the kids keep an unchanged home environment and don’t feel like gypsies being shunted between homes every week.

It wouldn’t work for everybody, but if you and the ex have an amicable split and don’t mind continuing to share a house (two residences really) then it might be something worth considering…