Ahead of Family Mediation week, which runs from Monday 22nd to Friday 26th January, Altrincham-based Marcia Mediation highlights some of the particular issues facing separating couples in the Altrincham area.
The dizzying heights of Altrincham house prices are a real pressure for couples who may be attempting a dignified divorce.
Separating couples must do their best to find affordable places to live once their divorce is finalised.
That task is made considerably more challenging when the average house in Altrincham is around £400,000 – a figure well above the national average of £225,000 – and indeed three of the North West’s five most expensive roads are here, according to Lloyds Bank.
It’s little wonder then that there is added pressure on divorcing couples in Altrincham who attempt to maintain their lifestyle while living independently in the future as well as finding some sort of financial and emotional safety.
Hidden costs of divorce
The recently released Aviva Family Finances report details some of the hidden costs of divorce – including the cost of moving out of the family home.
Aviva found that 51% of divorcing couples choose to rent for a time after separating, at an average cost of over £35,000 on the real-terms divorce bill, while for the 16% who immediately buy a new property the added cost is nearly £150,000.
But for those in Altrincham and Hale, the price of buying a new property for both sides could be much higher, potentially making it impossible to buy or even rent within the preferred area.
Other stressful factors
All of this is on top of the regular cost of divorce, from legal fees to child maintenance payments, and Aviva also found that the £2,700 average legal fees can more than triple due to the associated cost of fighting over who will be responsible for the children and where they will live.
Additionally, if faced with a move out of the area due to financial pressures, Altrincham parents could be more likely to find heightened stress while looking to find a suitable replacement school due to the high standard of Altrincham schools. Having to leave family and friends to move out of the area is also almost certainly an added pressure.
In 7% of cases, divorcees go on to seek therapy or counselling at an average cost of over £1,000 each, a total of £17.3 million nationwide, and a reminder of the value of an amicable divorce, to reduce the long-term emotional and psychological impact of ending a marriage.
Family Mediation week runs from Monday 22nd January to 26th January and we at Marcia Mediation are championing the event.
Family Mediation Week looks at the benefits of enlisting the help of a professional mediator as early as possible in your divorce proceedings, to help keep things on track, reduce the stress, and cut the total cost of divorce.
Mediation and Dignity in Divorce
Our latest initiative is ‘Dignity in Divorce’, which aims to help local residents finalise their separations without the stress.
By engaging a mediator, the hope is to make divorce a more positive process overall, with fewer arguments and a more collaborative approach to reaching an agreeable outcome without unnecessary time or costs.
In an affluent area like Altrincham, this is particularly important – helping to keep as much of the family finances as possible to cover the costs of a new home and lifestyle, rather than watching the household’s savings get consumed by avoidable legal fees.
To book an appointment with Marcia herself and find out more, visit www.marciamediation.co.uk
