my husband and I got married then bought a house but in his name only with the intention of adding my name to the deeds at a later date. He has since left me and the children and has stopped paying the mortgage. The Northern Rock won't let me know what will happen next, only to say if he wants to hand the keys in he is perfectly entitled to do so. How do I go about trying to keep a roof over my kids heads. Can the Northern Rock repossess the house while I am still living here. Should I claim squatters rights etc... If I get a job, can I then stand up in court and offer to take over the mortgage?? This is the shits! Can anyone out there give me some advice please.

-- jill wells (jill.wells@steelweb.co.uk), October 06, 2002

Answers

You need a solicitor - and fast. You have an interest in that property and can sue your husband for a proportion of it's market value. However, in reality if he left and stopped paying the mortgage, you are going to have an uphill battle to get anything from him. The house will probably get repossessed/sold, as your name is not on the deeds (why?) and you are unlikely to be able to stop the Northern Rock short of a court injunction. Your husband is STILL obliged to pay you child support and the amount of any monetary judgment you get. Get down to a solicitor first thing and register your interest.

-- Too scared to say (iwasduped@yahoo.com), October 06, 2002.