Am I separated?

[ArgyMargy]

Sorry to be so dumb about this. My husband recently left after a very long marriage and is now living with another woman. Does that make me legally separated, or do I need some kind of legal document? It's only really occurred to me because I want to remove him from my private health plan. I don't want to pay money to a solicitor to declare me separated, as just waiting until the plan comes up for renewal would cost less. But it did occur to me that there may be other things where I need a "separated" status. Any advice gratefully received!

No you are not legally separated, this has to be done through a court. If you don't want to get divorced, you can apply for a Judicial Separation and then get a financial order in place.

You don't need a solicitor for a divorce or a judicial separation but you may need one to draw up the financial order.

Is he on the deeds? If he is he can borrow against the house at the moment. Just something to look out for.

Thank you Jilted.

Btw it's £410 for a divorce but if you're on certain benefits or a low income, you may be entitled to a reduction. The cost of the solicitor to draw up the financial order will obviously be more and will attract an additional court fee.