Added my name to utility bills

[szi123]

In the middle of divorcing STBex doesn’t contribute to the household expenses at all for many many years ( give or take the odd tiny grocery shop). I pay for everything for me and the 4 children even the holidays. No mortgage to pay. The utility bills are under his name.

For the last year he has demanded I also pay half the gas/ elec too. It’s under his name, so I’ve refused. We are now one year in arrears. He won’t pay as I won’t pay half.
For context a year of utility is £4500 compared to the household / childrens’ expenses I pay which are more than four times this.

Today I got a bill from the energy provider in joint names for £4855. I called them they said I have given consent on xy date for my name to be added to the bills which he obviously has fraudulently done. They are now investigating this as I told them I did not give consent.

What recourse do I have with the utility board surely they can’t add my name to the arrears ?

No they can't. It's his bill because it's in his name. Might help if you report him to police? For fraud or whatever it counts as.

When it comes to divorce I don't know whether it'll get considered a joint debt and offset against any savings either of you has, when dividing the assets. You'd need to speak to your solicitor about that.

If you want to take it over you tell them you're taking over the bill from X date. Then you can pay it going forward and he can get chased for the arrears.

If it stays in his name and nobody pays it, it will eventually get cut off and you'll have no gas and electric. This might make him pay it because it inconveniences him too or he might use a launderette, shower elsewhere and eat/drink outside the home leaving you and DC to suffer. There will be a fee to reconnect if it's cut off.

Social services care that the DC are looked after, not who is paying for it or how unfair the financial situation is.

I'd get it put in your sole name from x date and let him be chased for the outstanding.

Don’t understand

you say he hasn’t contributed to household bills for years - but all the utilities are in his name and he’s. Been paying them…?

why should you not pay these if you live at the property ?

What are the household /children’s expenses -food?/clothes/childcare? Because household expenses also mean utilities

are you still living in the same house?
does he have rent to pay elsewhere?
does he pay cms ?

Like @millymollymoomoo says, it depends on whether he is living there. If he isn’t, and is paying rent, bills elsewhere then he should have told the utility company the date he moved out and the bills transferred into your name. You’d then cover all your bills through your earnings plus any spousal/child maintenance, child benefit etc. The person remaining in the property is expected to be able to cover the household outgoings, otherwise it’s not fair to the person moving out.
If he’s living there then it’s different.

you say he hasn’t contributed to household bills for years - but all the utilities are in his name and he’s. Been paying them…?

I imagine he stopped paying utility bill around about the time she announced she wanted to divorce. She means she's been left to foot all other bills, council tax, water, all food and children's expenses (including childcare?). It could be an unfair division of finances if all that costs way more than the utilities. It's not uncommon for some men to essentially view the children as the wife's hobby, to be paid for out of her earnings and nothing to do with him. So he's seeing her as a sponger for not paying half of gas/electric eve though he's the one not paying half of anything else. He's basically being an arse because she wants a divorce.

why should you not pay these if you live at the property ?

Because currently they're in his name so she doesn't have to. In a general sense you're right, but their financial agreement during their marriage was he pays gas/electric and she pays everything else. There's no mortgage or rent. So it's a normal way of splitting things I guess, and depending on other expenses it could sometimes be a fair division of finances.

If he lives elsewhere that does change things OP, but you haven't mentioned that so I'm assuming he lives with you still.

Correct you dont understand; household expenses are not the same as utilities. By definition utilities are gas electricity and water. So if living in the same house as a family unit (which I did neglect to mention) 20K on expenses is not the same as approx 5K on utilities. That is called an unequal share.

I’m not saying it’s not unequal
but utilities DO firm part of household expenses so it’s not correct to say he hasn’t contributed for years.

so

are you both living in the same house as where the utilities being consumed are ?
is he living /renting elsewhere and therefore paying for bills in a home he’s not living
is he paying child maintenance ? If not why not

do you earn equal or is one party materially different