Abandonment of Married Person's Separate Homestead Following Reconciliation

Generally, an owner is held to have abandoned his or her homestead when:

" the owner disposes of the property, or
" when he or she leaves with the intention, or
" forms the intention after leaving, of not returning and occupying it as a homestead.

Intent alone without actual removal from the premises does not establish a loss of the homestead right, but the right may be defeated by the owner's use of the property in a manner not contemplated by the homestead laws. In some jurisdictions, a homestead can be abandoned only by a declaration of abandonment by the husband and wife.