Can I get my keys back???

[phoenixmai1]

Myself and my husband have separated and he has moved out but refuses to give me the key back. He no longer contributes towards any bills or the mortgage. He did pay the council tax but no longer does this either. He hasn't contributed to the mortgage since April. Do I have any right to get my key back off him??? Please help!!

[daddoinghisbest]

Just change the locks. Doesn't cost much.

[Lonecatwithkitten]

The advice I received was as lunatic said until his name is off the deeds no you can't get them back nor change the locks. However, my dad as a long time family court judge pointed out no one would criticise me as a woman alone for adding a bolt to the inside of the door to increase my security.

[cjel]

legally if you are joint owners you can't change the locks, but would he know ( that you lost your keys/ broke the lock and had to have it changed) or additional lock as lone said.

[probablyparanoid]

I am in similar boat although he is not on the deeds . Does anyone know if I can change locks in that case?

However I don't want to rock the boat and upset him at the moment as we are trying to get all agreed and he is very sensitive. He was upset when I asked him for keys as he says he needs access to the house in case one of children forgets something and I am away on his weekends. He has a point but he says he will give me his keys but he never has. He has never been violent so I am not frightened but I hate the feeling that he could come and route around and look at papers.

So I bought a lockable filing cabinet to put stuff I don't want him (or the kids for that matter) to see and when I leave house for any length of time I bolt the front from the inside and leave by the back door which he does not have a key to. I feel much better now but would still prefer to have the keys

[Lonecatwithkitten]

Probably I was advised by solicitor that once he was off the deeds and mortgage and as long as he had no charge registered against the house I was entitled to my keys back.
The argument reference the children needing something I tackled with the I don't have keys to your house so she will just have to get used to a) remembering or b) doing without.
In truth in a year there was nothing she need that urgently.
My Ex resisted and resisted returning keys and changing postal address in the end my solicitor wrote a strongly worded letter emphasis that if he tried to enter the property the police would view it as trespass.