Divorce

Child support enforcement: garnishment and most common time limits.

enforcement for alimony

Quando a pensão de alimentos não é paga, a dívida não é apenas um número. Pode representar meses de despesas suportadas por um só progenitor, contas escolares em atraso, consultas adiadas, medicamentos pagos com esforço e instabilidade para a criança. É por isso que a execução por alimentos existe: para transformar uma obrigação incumprida numa cobrança efetiva. A execução por alimentos é um meio legal para cobrar prestações alimentares vencidas e não pagas. Pode permitir penhora de salário, pensão, contas bancárias, reembolsos, bens ou outros rendimentos do devedor. Em alguns casos, também pode ajudar a garantir prestações futuras, evitando que a dívida continue a crescer mês após mês.
Mas há dúvidas frequentes: quanto tempo demora? O que pode ser penhorado? É possível penhorar salário? Há limites? O devedor é avisado antes? Que documentos são necessários? E quando vale mais pedir desconto direto em vez de avançar logo para execução?
Neste artigo explicamos como funciona a execução por alimentos, que penhoras são mais comuns, quais os prazos habituais, que cuidados deve ter antes de avançar e que erros podem atrasar a cobrança.

Overdue child support payments: how to legally collect them.

overdue child support payments: how to legally collect them.

Quando a pensão de alimentos deixa de ser paga, o problema raramente fica limitado a uma simples dívida. Em causa podem estar refeições, escola, medicamentos, transportes, consultas, atividades e a estabilidade diária de uma criança. Por isso, perante pensão de alimentos em atraso, a pergunta mais importante é: como cobrar legalmente, sem cair em conflitos inúteis e sem prejudicar o menor?
Em Portugal, a pensão de alimentos fixada por acordo homologado ou decisão judicial deve ser cumprida. Quando não é paga, existem mecanismos legais para reagir. Pode ser possível pedir descontos diretos no salário ou pensão do devedor, instaurar execução especial por alimentos, reclamar valores vencidos e, em certas situações, recorrer ao Fundo de Garantia de Alimentos Devidos a Menores. O essencial é agir com método. Não basta dizer que o outro progenitor não paga. É necessário provar o incumprimento, calcular corretamente os valores em dívida, identificar o título que fixou a pensão e escolher o meio legal mais adequado. Neste artigo explicamos como cobrar pensão de alimentos em atraso, que documentos reunir, que mecanismos existem, quando recorrer ao tribunal e que erros devem ser evitados.

Debt and credit cards in divorce: who is responsible?

debts and credit cards

Quando um casamento termina, nem sempre o problema está apenas na casa, nos filhos ou na partilha dos bens. Muitas vezes, há uma realidade menos visível, mas igualmente perigosa: dívidas, cartões de crédito, prestações acumuladas, descobertos bancários e créditos ao consumo contraídos durante a relação. Perante este cenário, surge uma pergunta inevitável: em caso de dívidas e cartões de crédito no divórcio, quem responde?
A resposta depende de vários fatores: quem contraiu a dívida, quando foi contraída, para que finalidade, se houve consentimento do outro cônjuge, qual o regime de bens e se o valor foi usado em benefício da família ou apenas em benefício pessoal. O divórcio não apaga automaticamente dívidas. Também não transforma todas as dívidas em responsabilidade de ambos. Há dívidas que podem ser comuns, dívidas que podem ser próprias de um só cônjuge e situações em que um dos ex-cônjuges paga mais do que devia e só depois acerta contas na partilha. Neste artigo explicamos quem responde por dívidas e cartões de crédito no divórcio, como distinguir dívidas comuns e dívidas próprias, que cuidados deve ter com cartões ativos, que provas guardar e como evitar que a separação se transforme numa herança financeira difícil de controlar.

Divorce and joint accounts: what to do immediately?

divorce and joint accounts

When a couple separates, one of the first sources of tension is usually money. The house, the children, and the division of assets are central to discussions, but bank accounts can become an immediate problem. Therefore, when faced with divorce and joint accounts, there is an essential question: what to do immediately?
The answer requires speed, prudence, and proof. A joint account can continue to be used as long as both account holders have the power to do so, unless there are limitations contracted with the bank or specific measures. This means that, if nothing is done, withdrawals, transfers, cancellation of direct debits, use of cards, or other transactions may occur that will later have to be discussed in the division of assets. Divorce does not automatically block joint accounts. Nor does it, by itself, separate the deposited money. As long as there is no agreement, decision, division of assets, or clear instructions to the bank, the account can remain active under the contracted terms. In this article, we explain what to do immediately in case of divorce and joint accounts, how to protect balances, what evidence to keep, what to do with direct debits and associated credits, and how to prevent the separation from turning into a financial war.

Guarantor for a mortgage after divorce: what changes?

guarantor for a mortgage

When a couple divorces and there's a mortgage, attention is usually focused on the house, the payments, and the division of assets. But there's a figure that's often forgotten: the guarantor. So, what happens to the guarantor in a mortgage after a divorce? Do they remain responsible? Can they be removed from the contract? Does the debtors' divorce change anything for the guarantor?
The answer should be clear: divorce, in itself, does not release the guarantor. If the guarantee was given in a mortgage loan agreement, the guarantor remains bound as long as the contract remains in effect under the agreed terms and until the bank formally accepts their release, replacement, or alteration of the guarantees.
This means that ex-spouses can separate, one can keep the house and the other can leave, but the guarantor may remain liable for the debt. If payments are not made, the bank can activate the guarantees stipulated in the contract, including the surety bond. In this article, we explain what changes for the guarantor in a mortgage after a divorce, what risks exist, when they can request to be removed from the mortgage, how the replacement of guarantees works, and what precautions should be taken before the division of assets.

Credit transfer after divorce: how does it work?

credit transfer after divorce

When a couple divorces and there's a mortgage, the house is rarely just an emotional issue. There's an associated debt, a bank contract in place, insurance, guarantees, and an inevitable question: how does mortgage transfer work after a divorce? The answer depends on several factors. It might involve transferring the mortgage to another bank, removing one of the ex-spouses from the loan, renegotiating terms, or adapting the contract to the new family reality. In all cases, there's one essential rule: divorce doesn't automatically change the mortgage. Until the bank formally accepts the change, the people who signed the contract remain responsible. This means that an ex-spouse can leave the house, stop using the property, and still remain bound by the loan. It also means that a divorce agreement, by itself, doesn't obligate the bank to remove a holder or accept that only one person remains responsible for the debt. In this article, we explain how mortgage transfer works after divorce, when it can be done, what documents are needed, what risks should be avoided, and what alternatives exist when the bank doesn't accept the change.

Can I change the lock during a divorce?

Can I change the lock during a divorce

During a divorce, the house often ceases to be just a house. It becomes the center of the conflict: who stays, who leaves, who pays, who can enter, who has keys, and even who has the right to decide on the lock. Therefore, a question frequently arises: can I change the lock during a divorce?
The answer depends on the context. As a rule, changing the locks without agreement or a court order can create problems, especially if the house is still the family home, if both have the right to use it, if both are owners, or if the other spouse still has personal belongings there. However, there are situations of risk, violence, threat, or intimidation where security may justify urgent measures.
The essential point is this: protection should not be confused with informal eviction. Protecting physical, emotional, and financial integrity is one thing. Preventing access to housing without legal basis, simply to gain an advantage in a divorce, is quite another. In this article, we explain when you can change the locks during a divorce, what risks exist, what to do if there is danger, how the family home works, and what alternatives exist to act with legal security.

Who is responsible for the provision while the split is not resolved?

Unresolved share

When a couple divorces and there is a house purchased with a mortgage, one of the first and most urgent questions is: who is responsible for the mortgage payments while the asset division is not resolved? The question may seem simple, but the answer involves two different realities: the relationship between the ex-spouses and the relationship with the bank. For the bank, the rule is clear: the people who signed the mortgage contract remain responsible. This means that if the loan is in the names of both spouses, both remain obligated to pay the mortgage, even if only one continues to live in the house, even if the divorce has already been granted, and even if there is a future intention for asset division. Divorce does not automatically alter the banking contract. Asset division is also not presumed. Until the property is sold, the loan is settled, one of the ex-spouses assumes the debt with the bank's acceptance, or another formal change is made, the mortgage payments continue to be a contractual responsibility of those linked to the loan. In this article, we explain who pays the mortgage while asset division is pending, what happens when only one person lives in the house, how to avoid conflicts, what rules should be put in writing, and what risks exist when the situation drags on without a solution.

Intimidation during divorce: what to do?

divorce intimidation

Divorce is already an emotionally demanding period in itself. When separation is accompanied by threats, control, psychological pressure, stalking, humiliation or fear, it's no longer just about the end of a relationship. It can be about safety, freedom of decision, and, in many cases, the protection of children. Intimidation during divorce can take various forms. It doesn't always appear as physical aggression. It can arise through constant messaging, emotional blackmail, threats about money, pressure to accept an unfair agreement, surveillance, using children as a tool for control, invasion of privacy, or attempts to isolate the other person. This article explains what to do in the face of intimidation during divorce, how to recognise warning signs, what evidence should be kept, when to file a complaint, how to protect minor children, and what measures can be requested in Portugal.

What happens to credit life insurance after divorce?

Your life insurance policy for the loan will typically remain active even after a divorce. However, what happens to it and who is responsible for it can change depending on the terms of your divorce settlement.

When a house is purchased with a mortgage, divorce rarely stops at the division of the property. There are associated contracts that remain active and can cause serious problems if forgotten. One of the most important is the mortgage life insurance. So, what happens to mortgage life insurance after a divorce? The answer is straightforward: divorce, in itself, does not cancel the life insurance, does not automatically change the insured parties, does not change the beneficiary, and does not remove either spouse from the loan. As long as the mortgage and the insurance contract are not formally altered, the obligations remain as initially agreed. This means a person can leave the house, get divorced, stop using the property, and still remain associated with the mortgage and life insurance. This is why this issue must be handled carefully at the time of divorce, asset division, or bank de-linking. In this article, we explain what happens to mortgage life insurance after a divorce, what risks exist, when it should be updated, how it is coordinated with the bank, and what precautions should be taken to avoid unexpected liabilities.

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