My Wife Asked Me to Move Out. Should I Leave?

If you’re getting divorced, and your wife has asked you to leave the house, should you leave?

There are two situations that we need to deal with, in very very different ways.

Let’s imagine situation number one:

  • You don’t have any kids:

If you don’t have any kids it’s probably just fine to move out of the house. Make sure the mortgage gets paid make sure the utilities still get paid and that you don’t go into foreclosure. But if you want to move out, that’s okay, you’re not abandoning the house, you’re not gonna lose that on equity in the house, you’re going to be just fine. So if you don’t have kids, and you want to move out, you can move out

Situation number two:

  • You do have children, this is a totally different discussion than situation number one…

If you are a dad, and you want anything like 50/50 custody with your children, my general rule (and what I tell men) is that you do not leave the house.

Your wife can ask you a thousand times, every day of the week, you do not leave the house.

Go live in the basement, go living on the couch, do whatever, but do not leave that house if you want 50/50, or anything like 50/50 custody of your children.

The reason for this is that, if you move out and your wife thinks its too small, or she finds some problem with it, she’s not going to give you 50/50 custody when you move out. Then one, two, three, four months later, after not exercising 50/50 custody, you haven’t really seen your kids that often, and you then you get divorced, she’s gonna say, “well he’s not around the kids, so why should he get 50/50 custody?”. As Utah divorce attorneys, we see this all the time.

So stay in that house, you can move out after you’ve filed for divorce, if you talk with your lawyer and you think that’s okay, but do not move out of that house before you file for divorce.

I hope this helps.

Protect Your Money And Your Family

We remove fear associated with divorce, protect your money & maximize time with your kids!

We're here to help. Let's determine your best options.

Call Us 24//7 at 801-685-9999 to Speak with a Live Representative

Utah Divorce FAQs
Top 100 Divorce Blog
What Clients Are Saying…
BrownLaw icon
Excellent
Brown Family Law
Based on 1013 reviews
Worked with Nick and Carren they did an awesome job with a difficult situation. The whole Brown law team was excellent to work with. I would highly recommend them to anyone that needs thier services. Thank you Nick and Carren also the rest of the team. On a side note everyone i delt with was very friendly! Thank you again!
Clay is the best
Clay was fantastic. I really appreciated his professionalism and knowledge. I would absolutely recommend him to anyone needing his services.
Helped me with everything, supported me in all my decisions! Communication is top notch! Never worked with a lawyer who was so easy to get a hold of! They are the best!
Daniel is a wizard. He’s incredibly knowledgeable and has a real gift for walking you through stressful situations with clarity and calm. He makes the process feel easy when it could otherwise be overwhelming. Highly recommend working with him!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Navigating a divorce is never easy, and I am so grateful to have had the support of attorney Nathaniel Garrabrandt and paralegal Carren Leavitt. From start to finish, they were responsive, professional, and compassionate. I really appreciated the weekly check-in Every phone call and email was answered promptly. There were moments when I needed immediate help with custody issues and protection—Nathaniel handled those situations with calm expertise and gave me the reassurance I needed during such a stressful and uncertain time.

Divorce can feel overwhelming, but having strong legal guidance made all the difference. Nathaniel and Carren provided not only the legal knowledge but also the steady support that helped me feel protected and confident moving forward. I couldn’t recommend Briwn Family Law more highly to anyone needing a reliable and caring legal team!
David Handy and his team were fantastic in helping me navigate custody time with my daughter. He gave the me reassurance and encouragement I needed with each step and I couldn't be more grateful to him! Thanks David! And to his team Candace & Brooklyn for being very helpful in keeping constant communication open. I enjoyed working with everyone!
I had a great experience. Amazing guidance and direction to best help me and my situation.
This has honestly been a first-class experience! I've gotten to work with many attorneys throughout my life and none have been as attentive as, Clay Randle has been.
Daniel and Carren were great to work with. They took time to help me understand the process and get through a difficult time. When I had questions they were quick to respond and really listened to my concerns.
yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7

Categories