If you’re going through a breakup, you probably have a lot on your mind. If you were married, numerous questions arise when it comes time to divvy up your belongings – even if you had a prenuptial agreement, there are likely to be things not mentioned in that agreement.
What if you weren’t married? Some stuff was likely yours before you got together, but what about all of those mutual purchases you made? While you might not want to look at that couch ever again, it might be something that you spent money on, so you should have some kind of claim to it. Before you tell the Denver moving company to burn the couch, here are some tips on splitting it all up fairly.
- What’s yours is yours, and vice versa. There should be no question that anything that belonged to you prior to moving in together belongs to you exclusively, and vice versa. Determine what items belong to you and you alone, and remove them from the picture entirely.
- Inventory. Once you’ve removed items that belong to each of you, you should take an inventory of what remains. If the two of you are still on speaking terms, see if you can split up the property fairly. If not, bring in an appraiser to value the items and help you split it all up fairly. You should get your ex to sign a document that states they accept the values set by the appraiser, and that decisions are final once they’re made. In this way, you aren’t surprised by demands for stuff after the fact.
- Sell it. If neither of you want the items, put them up for sale on Craigslist or have a yard sale to get rid of it all. Split the profits, and donate what remains to charity. You can use the proceeds to fund new stuff for your new apartment.
- Resist the urge to destroy anything. If you’re just not handling the breakup well, do whatever you can to resist the urge to start smashing furniture and belongings, whether they belong to the other person or to the both of you. You want to avoid legal trouble at all costs, or worse – retaliation smashing. While it might feel good to smash that Xbox, it won’t feel so good when he responds by destroying your expensive dishes and wine glasses!
- Make a deal. Do you really want that dining room set for your new place, but you both invested in it? See if you can strike a deal with your ex. You might find they let you have it outright just to get rid of it, or they might say “no way.” If this is the case, try offering to pay them for their half. Sometimes, money is the key to getting what you want.
- Keep your distance. So you hired a Denver moving company to get your boxes out of there, but in an effort to save money, you decided to pack up by yourself. To keep things peaceful and calm, avoid packing rooms your ex is in. If they’re in the bedroom, get packing up in the kitchen. This will limit arguments and any feelings of discomfort you might experience if you had to spend time in the same room for a long period of time. Or look for moving companies in Fort Collins that will do the packing for you at a low price.
- Be fair. While it might be tempting to sabotage his fish tank or snag that cozy concert tee he owns that you loved to wear to bed, resist the temptation, and skip the bad karma.
While you might not be thinking of it at the moment, you’ll want to be sure all bills acquired when you were together are split down the middle and paid up. You can put the Internet to use here, getting a statement on the day your ex moves out and printing out two copies. The bills should be paid to the person in whose name the utility was set up. Be sure to get a receipt for your payment, just in case they try to pull the “I am sorry, I didn’t receive payment” move on you.
It’s not going to be fun, but it doesn’t have to drag on forever and ever. Deal with splitting up your stuff early on in the breakup, and whatever you can’t agree upon can go into storage until you have clearer, less spiteful heads. You can split the cost of the storage unit, and decide the fate of the stuff contained within when you are both ready. If you’re looking for moving companies in Fort Collins, contact Exodus Moving and Storage.