Looking for advice pls.

[Timebomb1]

I've been Married for 25 years, my husband walked out on me and two teenage children around two months ago. He's ex military, we have a house with a mortgage. His military pension & equity in the house are the only assets.

I'm still in the home with the children (he's now living several hours away with his sister so he can still get his food cooked for him and clothes washed etc) 😡. He comes to see children and stays over night in the house (which Im less than keen on as he can be very verbally aggressive).

He wants a decision on house, and has started saying he can't afford for us to stay there (mortgage & council tax payments currently come out of his bank account) as he wants to look for a flat for himself - mortgage is In joint names & I pay other bills, insurances, all food and children's requirements. I don't earn a great deal even though I work full time. I've never really managed to properly develop a career as spent alot of time moving around the country with his work.

I've got first appointment with solicitors next week but hoping someone here may have had experience of this situation that can help me? Can he for force me to sell the home? There won't be enough equity for me to buy another house but possibly a very small flat? Not ideal for two children. I'm also worried that he may stop making mortgage payments.

He has also started working for cash in hand which will make his bank account look like he's not earning 😭

Any advice appreciated...

at some point the equity will need to be split. Even if you get 100% you need to be able to take on the mortgage in your own right. If that’s not possible the best you could do is defer it until your kids finish school. But that would be a last resort option.

Have you looked into benefits and or social housing.

He can’t force you to sell but a court could

yiud need to understand and value his pension as offsetting that might allow you to keep the equity but as pp states you’d be expected to remove him from the mortgage.

if your children are teens you may be able to get a mesher order to defer giving him his share of equity for a few years ( if it’s deemed he’s due any) but once you youngest turns 18 you’d have to sell. This isn’t a given outcome and courts will try to avoid Meshers but they are awarded in some cases

Getting an evening or additional evening job might be an option to enable me to take on the mortgage.

Sorry you’re going through this OP. Have you looked at any online calculators to see what you’d be able to borrow/afford in terms of a mortgage? I agree with a PP that you need to talk to your council/housing association etc about social housing.