Playing the divorce game for a second home

The divorce sections of Shanghai's marriage registration office are witnessing a bizarre phenomenon. Instead of a hall with a solemn, if not depressing, atmosphere the divorce sections look more like bustling markets. Some branches of the city's marriage registration office, which usually receive a dozen or so couples a day, have had to impose a daily quota to limit the number of couples filing for divorce to ease employees' workload.

People waiting in long queues range from elderly couples married for many years to newlyweds. The reason for the sudden surge in the number of couples seeking to end their marriage is not the breaking of the conjugal bond but a rumor that city authorities are set to tighten the housing policy, which will treat couples who divorced less than a year ago as a family when it comes to buying a house.

According to the existing policy, a family in Shanghai can buy a maximum of two houses, and one that already owns a house has to shell out 50 percent of the price of the second one it wants to buy as down payment. The down payment for first-home buyers is only 20 percent.