husband left

YOUR STATE NAME - Pennsylvania


my husband left without notice - i do not know where he went nor how to contact him - am i legally able to change the locks to the home we shared??

I have nver been through a divorce or seperation with my wife (and never intend to) however I would think that if the house is in both of your names, you could actually change the locks. Wouldn't this be some form of "Abondment"? Since he left with no trace and stuck you with the bills, the kid's (if you have any), etc. I would think that this is your territory now since you are holding down the fort by yourself. I would get a free consultation with a lawyer. You are probably going to need one anyway since it sounds like divorce is in the near future for you. Good luck, God bless.

If you own the house -- or partly own the house, then you are free to do anything to your house that you want, such as changing the locks.

If you want to divorce him and have no idea where he is, you can probably do notice by publication (running an ad). That allows you to divorce him without his permission or knowledge.

If he comes back and is violent, call the police -- and get a restraining order.

Best of luck to you!

[usmcfamily]

Be aware that in order to do anything "by publication" you must first make a "good faith effort" to locate the person you are serving notice to......this means that you need to contact his friends and family that you know and see if they know where he is**************..an attorney can tell you the exact legalities of "by publication notices" in your area and can also help you to make sure you get through this with the least problems possible**************.
good luck and God Bless

[kat1963]

..and since it's his property too, he can (probably) do anything reasonably necessary to gain entry. My ex thought he was going to be a smarty and changed the locks on our home (like I really cared anyway). So I told him that was okay, if I really wanted to get into the place I'd just break one of the really expensive solarium windows (like I'd really want to bust up my own house). Anyway I got the keys (that I never used) that same day after he spoke to his lawyer. *LOL* The funny part is, a few days later while he was mowing the lawn, he shot a bolt right thru one of those windows. HA. To this day, it still makes me laugh. If you knew this truely evil man, you'd know why.
Good Luck Hon. Get a guard dog.
KAT