[2025] EWHC 2997 (Fam)

The parties jointly own Property A, Harrow. This was to be their matrimonial home after renovation but it has never been used as such. It was bought in 2018 for £1.9 million and soon after the parties moved to live in Country C and then Country D. When they returned in 2019 they separated. The husband has run the works on the property without consultation with the wife. He has funded them by a director’s loan account from Company A. They are not finished. It now has an agreed value of £4.1 million and a net value of £2.7 million.

The husband has a small rental property, Property B, in Harrow. That has equity of about £53,000. If the mortgage is taken into account there is no profit on the rental.

There are some debts (other than the DLA): the husband says he has debts of about £115,000 – largest parts being credit card debts and money owing to HMRC. The wife says she has debts of about £100,000 the biggest part of which is a student loan and legal fees, to her previous solicitors Lawrence Stephens.

I shall work through the ES2 below when setting out the financial resources as I have found them to be. I have indicated to the parties that in relation to some small differences between the parties as to account balances I have taken the view that they relate to updating and I am going to take the figure provided by the party in whose name the accounts are.