How can I legally recover family belongings kept in storage in the U.K. that my dh refuses to ship?

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i moved abroad two years ago from the U.K. with my family and my dh put all of our things in storage and keeps telling me he will sort the delivery out asap he told me there is a deadline of 6 months and it will all be shipped. He has not arranged it in two years and until recently told me I can have no access to my things. Recently it’s transpired that I may be able to go to the storage company to see my things. But when I ask when they will be delivered he says they won’t be because he doesn’t want to pay for it.
where do I stand legally to get my things back? I am so distressed after two years of not having any of my things as are my dc who have also lost things in this storage nightmare. Thank you

Are you sure they are still in storage. Do you know that payments are being made on it?

Hvaen't you posted about this before? You don't have access to money so can't contact the storage company directly and from memoryy, this was the tip of the iceberg of relationship issues?

Your his wife, why do you need his permission?

I’m puzzled about this too. It’s not 1926, ring the storage company yourself and ask.

I assume they have split up, the OP has left the country with their DC and her ex has binned her belongings. If he did put them in storage, then she has no legal right to them. Also, it would be up to her to pay for them to be shipped to wherever she’s moved to.

From a legal perspective, he’s following the correct procedure under the Torts (Interference with Goods) Act 1977 Act. He has stored your abandoned belongings and it sounds as if he is allowing you to go to the storage facility to collect them. He isn’t obliged to deliver them to you, only facilitate you or somebody on your behalf to collect them or to make arrangements to have them delivered via a courier.

He’s stored your things for two years, he would be entitled at this stage to give you notice that he no longer tends to pay for the storage and that you must arrange collection within a set timescale or they will be disposed of. You need to have a think about whether you really want these things back: if it’s just ordinary household items and children’s toys etc you’ll pay more for shipping and insurance than they’re worth.

Sorry no we are still together(!). I contacted the storage company and they said because it’s in his name they can’t release anything.

Can you clarify OP whether you and DH are still together? I answered having read the situation as being you had left the marital home and moved abroad but ex-DH had remained in the U.K.; but it could also be that you have all moved abroad together as a family but he no longer wants to keep paying for the storage or pay to have all your old stuff shipped to you.

If it’s the latter, do you have anyone in the U.K. who would be willing to go to the storage facility, retrieve anything particularly valuable or sentimental, and arrange to get them to you? The point still stands that for regular household stuff, it may cost more than its all worth to ship it.

Ah, cross posts, and this makes sense.

Has the relationship broken down, despite you being still together? If he isn’t giving the storage facility permission to speak with you to arrange the shipping yourself, or for you to get somebody in the U.K. to go in and find a few bits, it sounds as though this is the case?

I'm going to guess that your husband is a complete arsehole, and this incident is the tip of the iceberg. No decent loving husband and Dad, would treat his wife and children in this way. He's using your belongings to exert power and control over you, knowing you can't access them without his permission. He's enjoying hurting you all.

Have you got proof that he's even paying for storage?! If he stops paying, then eventually whatever is inside will be disposed by the storage company. If he doesn't want to pay for shipping costs, then I can't see him paying for storage costs forever more either.

I suspect you would need to seek legal advice to see if there's any way you can force his hand.