his parents as he has nowhere else to live. He stays in the family home at weekends. He needs to find suitable accomadation for himself and find out what he his responsible for. He is fully willing to pay for his daughter but could not continue to support tha marital home and pay rent on another property. What are his legal obligations in this situation. His wife has refused mediation. Where should he consider doing next? Many thanks A. Hi This is not an unusual situation. Often when there is a separation there is not enough money to house both parties. The priority is to negotiate a financial settlement so that your son and his wife can make some decisions about the future. If she is not willing to attend mediation, your son's lawyer may have advised him to issue a court application for a financial order. This should encourage some dialogue and co operation from her. The process need not be lengthy or expensive. As soon as she starts co operating, it may be that the lawyers can advise on a settlement out of court. Particularly if there are, as you say, limited assets. It seems to me that the key next step is to start a dialogue with her. It may be that there is no incentive on her part because she is living comfortably and managing financially. In terms of his obligations, quite generally, he has an obligation to maintain their daughter at 15% of his net