How mortgages complicate divorce. Who takes the house and who pays?

Divorce may end a marriage, but joint mortgages can keep couples financially tied, with shared legal and repayment risks.

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On paper, divorce marks the end of a marriage, but in reality, it is usually the start of a long and complicated financial separation. For instance, couples are finding themselves bound together by a mortgage, which neither can easily walk away from.

Housing data in countries such as America show that a large number of divorced or separated couples are still tied to joint mortgages, mostly due to the high refinancing costs and stricter lending requirements.

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Note: The results are not exact but very close to the actual.