Long story short - I took my two young girls and left my home (jointly mortgaged with my ex husband) to move back in with my parents exactly one year ago today. Since then, I have tried repeatedly to get my belongings back, but my ex has made it incredibly difficult. He will not respond to my requests (threatens to report me for harassment) and he has changed the locks so that I can't access the house at all.
We have a number of joint assets like furniture and electricals but I expect to get some of these awarded to me when I attend the family court for financial proceedings (I'm only asking for about 5 pieces of furniture - he can keep everything else).
But what do I do about the small things? I have fairy ornaments there that I was given as a child, a few pieces of jewellery (inexpensive but sentimental), and the china cups / saucers / teapots that were used for our wedding, amongst other things - I can't recall absolutely everything as I haven't been allowed access to the house for a year. There isn't an injunction or anything; it's simply a matter of that he won't let me in.
How will the courts handle this situation? I don't have a solicitor (can't afford it so please don't bother suggesting it) to send to the house to collect things, and even if I did, I can't recall everything that I have left behind as, like I said, it's been a year. What I would like is to be allowed unrestricted access to collect what's mine but I wouldn't expect to be granted that. My ex is a very difficult person and I can see him disputing the things I want to take - one thing in particular is a memory box of my youngest daughter. I painstakingly put together all of her precious things like christening gifts, cards, her christening candle, birthday cards, first pair of shoes etc in there for her to have - my ex took no part in this at all - and I want it to be left in my care, but I know he won't want me to have it.
As I understand it, the court isn't interested in the divides of these small things that aren't worth anything, so how do I go about getting them back? Can the courts help me with this?
My only other recourse is trying to access the house when he isn't there. An immoral choice, but not an illegal one, since it is still my house and, legally, I am perfectly within my rights to change the locks and let myself in. As it happens, I know he does leave the door unlocked. But you can understand my reluctance to pursue this particular option.
I guess the other option would be to cut my losses. But these things are important to me, and with everything else he has put me through, to lose them would be very distressing.
Thank you for any help you can provide.