What happens when one spouse blocks showings?

It rarely looks like open defiance. It looks like showings declined for plausible reasons, the house left unpresentable, a lockbox that never gets installed. Weeks pass, the listing goes stale, and the market reads the property as troubled. The occupying spouse hasn't violated anything obvious — but the sale is dying.

A written access plan

• Standing showing windows (for example, set weekday evenings and weekend blocks) agreed in advance.
• A defined notice period for showings outside the windows.
• Who prepares the home, and what 'showing-ready' means, in writing.
• Every request, confirmation, and decline documented through the agent — not texted between spouses.

Why documentation matters

If obstruction continues, the remedy runs through the court — and courts act on records, not impressions. A neutral log of requested showings, responses, and outcomes, kept by the listing agent, turns 'they're being difficult' into something a judge can actually see. It also protects the occupying spouse when declines were legitimate.