Living in the same house
You can be separated from your spouse even if you are living in the same house. There is no legal or official document to complete to say you and your spouse are separated.
The court will look at several factors to prove that you and your spouse are validly separated if you live under the same roof.
These include whether you and your spouse have:
- Stopped wearing your wedding rings
- Ceased intimate and sexual activity
- Separated bank accounts and finances
- No longer attend social activities together
- Act in a way so that it is obvious to family, friends, employers, neighbours, coworkers and outsiders otherwise that the relationship is over
- Live in separate bedrooms
- Do not engage in shared social activities within the home such as watching television together or hosting friends together
- Do not perform household services for one another such as prepare meals, wash clothes, etc.
