Large pkt in post could it be financial settlement court papers

[Joy5]

Hi
My ex has been threatening since last year to file court papers to sort out the finances as part of the divorce.
I've come home from work and found a card from the post man, saying they was unable to deliver a large packet today through the letter box.
I'm probably being paranoid, but i'm convinced it must be court papers, has anyone any experience of the size of letter the court papers will be?
The sorting office doesn't open until morning, i'm going to go out of my mind with worry over night with this.
I'll be grateful for any insight any one can give.

Mine were a few scraps of paper, about eight pages in total.

May I ask why you are worried about the papers arriving? Is it just fear of the unknown? Have you been able to discuss the settlement together or is it too acrimonious?

Why are you worried about it OP?

What are the dimensions of your letterbox? Do you usually have to arrange for redelivery or collection of 'large packets'?

I'm living in the family home with my 2 youngest children, ex pays the mortgage.

We got into a mess financially a few years ago, so my credit rating is poor. I tried to rent last year, when my ex started missing mortgage payments, and kept being turned down.

So my only option is to stay in the family home until youngest reaches 18 in 3 years. Then i don't know where we live, but i'll worry about that then. Hard enough having to cope as a single parent at the moment.

Had to take legal action to keep ex away from me last year due to his violence and anger towards me. He ended the marriage, hes got someone else, yet everything is my fault! Would be quite willing to discuss things and sort finances out, but impossible unless he calms down towards me.

A bit of me thinks hes only threatening court to scare me (and hes succeeding), hes got to pay maintenance, but hes not seen any sense for 18 months, so i'm not convinced its only threats.

Letter box is just a normal size, but i'm not expecting anything, post usually comes through ok.

Just won't calm down until i know what it is!

Do you have a solicitor? It doesn't sound like you've had sound legal advice yet.

I've got a solicitor, but i'm not eligible for legal aid, so couldn't ring her and ask today or she'd have charged me. I've only one child under 18, my middle son is over 18, but hes not working or studying hes had severe depression, so ex only wants to pay maintenance for youngest son.

Mortgage is more than the CSA would expect ex to pay anyway, which is why he wants us to leave the family home. Its ok for him, hes renting off a friend so didn't need a credit check.

IME court papers go through solicitors first especially if there are marital assets to divide (i.e. marital home).

he can't make you leave the family home and no court is going to make that happen until your youngest is 18.

But it's not such a huge package that it wouldn't go through a letter box. I don't think it's court papers OP. Stop worrying.

Thanks Saltpig, i only hope ur right. Sorting office opens at 7am, so i'll be outside waiting, only another 12 hours to go!

But if he stops paying the mortgage totally, the house will eventually be repossessed so he can make us leave the family home, and we're in arrears, he misses a months payment ever so often.

If i could find somewhere to rent, that would accept us with my poor credit rathing thats close to school, i'd go, just to stop the power hes got over me at the moment and i'd be in control.

So can you go to your local authority for housing? I know it's a long, long shot.

I'm assuming you can't make up any shortfall in the mortgage?

Have you tried CAB for housing advice?

Have you got a spare bedroom? If so, get a lodger for some extra money. Also, the first £4250 of rent you get is tax free. But let you building/contents insurer know.

I'm looking at getting one, have been looking at ads on www.spareroom.co.uk and am staggered at the rent I might get from someone.

I don't think it's court papers either OP. Mine fitted through the letterbox easily.

And when I phoned my solicitor, or my ex's solicitor (who was surprisingly helpful), neither of them charged me. You can speak to your solicitor's secretary too, he/she will give you information.

Went to local authority about housing, i'm looking at a 20 year + wait for a 3 bedroom house, if the house is repossessed then we'll be put in bed and breakfast, my 19 year old will probably be put in a separate bed and breakfast and as hes aspergers its not something i can consider.

Theres barely any equity in the family home, and i earn such a low salary remortgaging isn't an option. Trying to increase my income but realistically i'm not going to be able to earn enough to buy.

My solicitor seems to charge me for everything, hadn't considered a lodger but maybe its something i need to consider. Renting one room would proabably allow us to stay in the family room with my ex just paying the CSA rate.

Thanks for everyones help. x

The vast majority of Court documents are commonly A4 size and if there are too many to fold in half or a third to fit smaller envelopes, they are sent out flat in the appropriate size envelope which, in the case of a small letterbox, may require the postie to bend it in half lengthways to push it through the opening.

In the unlikely event that your 'large packet' contains financial information relevant to your divorce, rejoice as it could be he's got numerous offshore bank accounts, millions salted away with the gnomes of Zurich, property in Monaco, a yacht in the Caribbean etc etc

I'm setting my watch now and look forward to having my curiousity assauged not later than 8am tomorrow...

Been to sorting office, my packet hasn't arrived there yet! Its probably gone to the central sorting office and will arrive at my local one by tomorrow hopefully or failing that Monday!!!

Don't know how i got through last night with the not knowing, now i've got until tomorrow at the earliest before i find out what it is.

Been trying to work out the good side to it, theres always one if you try, can only think of one, if i don't know what it is i can't do anything about it, and if i find out tomorrow its the weekend so i can't do anything until Monday.

So thats 3 more days where i don't have to make any decisions or do anything. I probably come across as a right wimp but i've had so much happen to me in the last 4 years, including the sudden death of my eldest child, and the serious depression of my middle son last year, as well as the end of my marriage i just want nothing to happen for the foreseeable future just so i can come to terms with it all.

OP, it's several years ago now but I seem to remember the first lot of Court papers relating to finances coming after I'd had a letter from my solicitor. And it was only a few forms to complete. They came in an A4 envelope but would easily go through a small letterbox, it wasn't a big wad of papers.
After I'd completed the forms, and exH had completed his, that was when I got a huge stack of papers that would be described as a 'packet' that wouldn't fit through a small letterbox.

It's awful having to wait now till Monday. Fingers crossed whatever it is turns up tomorrow for you.

Been to the sorting office and got my packet, decided to leave it until nearly closing at 11, in the hope they'd have it by then.

Its a duplicate lap top charger!! Not court papers. Wasn't expecting it, i received my new one last week, think its been sent by accident, so i'll have to return it.

Its not court papers though thank goodness, i've really got to sort myself out doing this to myself time after time, thinking the worst every time. Its just i can't afford to fight for what we're due in the courts, and i'm not eleigible for legal aid, and ex is refusing to come to a sensible financial agreement between us. Its the only hold hes got over me now, to keep threatening to go through the courts, he know i'm scared by the thought of it, and i can't afford to fight it.

Thanks everyone for offering advice, you were all right about it not being court papers xx