I HAVE been separated from my husband for some years. I tried unsuccessfully a couple of years ago to get a simplified divorce.

My husband lives in Spain and he is a Gibraltarian. I took the divorce papers over to Spain and he happily signed them.

I got them signed by a notary public here in Scotland and took the form to the Sheriff Court. They checked and told me it would all be fine.

But after a few weeks they returned the form to me, saying that I needed to have it translated into Spanish.

Surely this can't be the case? It sounds like the sheriff was being very careful to ensure your husband was not signing something he did not fully understand.

If there is any doubt about your husband's command of English then this was the right thing to do.

I suggest you start again, this time getting a letter or affidavit from your husband confirming he understands English, has read the court papers, and wishes to proceed with the divorce.

Even better if you get a letter from his lawyer saying the same thing. I'm losing out over crash I was driving on a main street and a van came out of a side road and hit my near side.

I was not injured, but my car was off the road for two weeks when it was being repaired.

I use the car for work and also to pick up my children from a school that is a considerable distance away, but the van's insurers are saying it is not essential I have a car, so are not willing to pay my hire charges.

AThe argument about necessity is probably not the relevant one. Your duty as a victim is to mitigate your losses - ie, not to make things worse for yourself in the expectation someone else will pay.

But in this instance you should not have to suffer being without a car because of another's negligence.

You would not be entitled to hire, say, a Bentley, if you own a Fiesta, but as long as you hire a moderate car you should get the cost back. Landlord has duty on repairs

I rent a flat from a private landlord and he has failed to renew two windows - we didn't break them. I want to withhold rent until he gets the work done. Is this legal? IT depends on what your signed lease says - it may have a clause saying no rent can be retained.

No matter what the agreement says, the landlord has a duty to ensure the place is kept wind and watertight and repairs are done.

Write to the local council housing department asking them to force him to act. Can I stop son getting house?

MY son says I cannot disinherit him. Does he have an automatic share of my property when I die? All children have a legal right to claim on their parent's estate, whether there is a will or not. However, that claim is only over the moveable estate (bank accounts, savings, jewellery etc - not the house if this has been willed away) after debts have been paid and any surviving spouse has been paid out first. DO YOU HAVE A LEGAL PROBLEM? Write to Austin at Evening Times Features, 200 Renfield Street, Glasgow G2 3QB or e-mail him at: features@eveningtimes.co.uk