"We got the impression that he didn’t want to leave", said Katherine Singleton, of estate agents Dudley Singleton & Daughter, referring to a husband in Pangbourne, Berkshire, who was so traumatised by having to leave his Victorian cottage that he took a chain saw to the joists, sawing through every stair and floorboard, poured cement into the septic tank, took out the kitchen sink and taps, and smashed the bath and toilet. Yes, I can see why they got that impression.

This little snippet of spousal retribution comes from a serious article in The Sunday Times today discussing the correlation between the strength of the housing market and the number of marriage breakdowns, the suggestion being that there are fewer divorces when the housing market is slow. There does seem to be an increasing amount of anecdotal evidence that couples are having to stay together as they are unable to sell the matrimonial home. This can obviously cause considerable unhappiness and distress although, as the article points out, sometimes it can actually save a marriage. The article goes on to suggest that the effect of the housing market on divorces is now more obvious, with more people divorcing later in life when they are more likely to own a valuable family home.

Of course, as the husband in Pangbourne demonstrates, not everyone wants to sell their home.