Going through a divorce gives you a tough time and brings change and uncertainty with it. To make the divorce period easy for both parties, bills and payments must be kept in check, and both parties should adopt regularity and timely submissions. If the bills are not paid on time, there may be serious financial problems.
Divorce proceedings and the process are time-consuming and lengthy, so both parties should decide who will pay the household expenses during that time. However, in some cases, one of the spouse might disagree with paying household bills during a divorce. If such a situation arises, here is what you should do.
If only one spouse owns the house
The spouse who owns the house is responsible for making sure the mortgage, taxes, and house insurance are paid on time. That is because if these payments are not made on time, the bank and other authorities have the right to seize the property and even sell it.
According to what they can afford, the other spouse who does not own the house should contribute to paying the household bills during the divorce proceeding period. Both the parties should continue to pay the bills they are responsible for.
If both spouse own the house
Understandably, the spouse should split the house expenses between the two in such a question. If one of the spouse refuses to pay his or her part or share, the other can pay it for the time being and then ask for a return. The spouse who goes and makes the payment should keep proof of all the payments for future use, such as bills, receipts, cheques, bills, photocopies, and statements.
If the house is owned by both the spouse but one of the spouse does not live in the house anymore, then that spouse can ask for financial compensation as they no longer use the house. They both may also agree that whoever lives in the house will pay for all the expenses.
But if they decide to do that, then the one paying all the house expenses will lose the right to claim compensation for the other part. The other spouse will lose the right to live in the house. It is a good practice to look at all the household finances and expenses and decides who will pay what. Taking help from a divorce lawyer in fort Bend County to draw up a legal agreement can make a huge difference and ensure that all bills are paid on time.
Marital funds
In a scenario where both the parties cannot reach a mutual decision on who will pay for the expenses during the divorce proceedings, and the responsibility of paying the bills falls onto only one of the spouse. They can consider looking into getting marital funds so that they can pay the bills easily. If you cannot pay your bills because your spouse changed your bank information, you can request the court for a temporary order that asks your spouse to disclose their financial property and refrain from making changes.
Temporary aid
If you cannot pay your bills during the time your divorce is finalized due to conflicts with your spouse or inability to get marital funds, you can look into the option of temporary support. Temporary supports refer to temporary alimony awards issued by the court to the spouse that earns lesser. They are only valid until the divorce process is over.