Provisional attribution of the family home

Home is often the centre of family life. And it is precisely for this reason that, when there is a separation, the question arises too soon and with too much weight: who stays in the home until the divorce is settled? The temporary attribution of the family home exists to address this urgency. It is a temporary solution, designed to prevent the breakdown of the couple from turning into daily chaos, especially when there are children, school routines, mortgage payments and fixed expenses. In this article, we explain how the temporary attribution of the family home works in Portugal, when it can be requested, what the court usually assesses, what evidence helps, and how to avoid impulsive decisions that are later difficult to reverse.