"I just couldn't afford to live," she said.
Renfrey notes that separating couples face uncertainty over assets until a property is sold and proceeds divided.
That makes it hard to know what they can afford to rent or buy.
"There are two elements: external economic factors and lack of financial certainty until the split is resolved," she says.
Mary-Ann and Bill eventually sold their home amicably.
They worked together to fix it up, and the real estate agent called them one of the loveliest couples she'd worked with.
Some nights they watched TV together. But by the time contracts were exchanged, Mary-Ann moved out six weeks before settlement.
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"If I had to keep looking at him I was going to become angry," she said.
