What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? North Carolina
Currently I rent a small townhouse and I pay as much money as my salary will allow me. In fact at the end of my lease in April I want to move to a smaller place because the current rent is just too much for me.
Recently the situation between my wife and I became overwhelming and I told her I wanted to get a divorce. Because I'm alone in this country (I'm a legal permanent resident and my family is in Argentina), I don't have my parents or other relatives' homes that I could move into, but my wife however, has her family here. She could move in with her mother, but her mother is not too happy about that.
Her mother told me that according to the law we can live the separation year in the same house but in different rooms, which actually we've been doing for years, because when she divorced her husband they lived in the same house but in different bedrooms, and when the guy filed for divorce, they just had to sign a form saying that they had lived separated albeit in the same house for fifteen months. This, however, was like two decades ago, so I don't know if you can still do that. Can anybody with good knowledge of North Carolina divorce law tell me if in fact you can do the separation year living in the same house but in different rooms? If anybody can give me a link to where the law is explained in this regard it would be especially helpful. I checked DivorceNet.com and there's something there but it doesn't really answer my question. (DivorceNet - Separation and Alimony)
Also, if the separation year cannot be spent in the same house, and her mother refuses to take her in, what are my choices? If I want her to leave, will the court make me pay for a second place for her to live? (which I couldn't afford anyway). One thing I couldn't do is just kick her out and leave her on the street, because although we don't work as a married couple, I do love her and I couldn't just leave her out to dry. But at the same time I want to know what my options are because it's clear to me that it's over.
Currently I rent a small townhouse and I pay as much money as my salary will allow me. In fact at the end of my lease in April I want to move to a smaller place because the current rent is just too much for me.
Recently the situation between my wife and I became overwhelming and I told her I wanted to get a divorce. Because I'm alone in this country (I'm a legal permanent resident and my family is in Argentina), I don't have my parents or other relatives' homes that I could move into, but my wife however, has her family here. She could move in with her mother, but her mother is not too happy about that.
Her mother told me that according to the law we can live the separation year in the same house but in different rooms, which actually we've been doing for years, because when she divorced her husband they lived in the same house but in different bedrooms, and when the guy filed for divorce, they just had to sign a form saying that they had lived separated albeit in the same house for fifteen months. This, however, was like two decades ago, so I don't know if you can still do that. Can anybody with good knowledge of North Carolina divorce law tell me if in fact you can do the separation year living in the same house but in different rooms? If anybody can give me a link to where the law is explained in this regard it would be especially helpful. I checked DivorceNet.com and there's something there but it doesn't really answer my question. (DivorceNet - Separation and Alimony)
Also, if the separation year cannot be spent in the same house, and her mother refuses to take her in, what are my choices? If I want her to leave, will the court make me pay for a second place for her to live? (which I couldn't afford anyway). One thing I couldn't do is just kick her out and leave her on the street, because although we don't work as a married couple, I do love her and I couldn't just leave her out to dry. But at the same time I want to know what my options are because it's clear to me that it's over.