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Marriage, relationships & families

Discuss the MoneySaving implications of relationships and family life.

MoneySaving mums

A place for mums with kids of all ages to discuss parent MoneySaving matters.

968 discussions 13.7K comments Most recent: Property Income Excluded from Free Childcare Hours by ileven1225 2 June at 7:39PM
MoneySaving dads

A place for dads with kids of all ages to discuss parent MoneySaving matters.

367 discussions 4K comments Most recent: Increase in child custody from 40/60 to 50/50 by marcia_ 9 June at 1:46PM
Deaths, funerals & probate

Get MoneySaving help at the time of bereavement - discuss wills, inheritance tax, estate planning and more.

12.5K discussions 132.1K comments Most recent: Overpayment Recovery Of State Pension & PIP by Missionhall Today at 8:36PM
Pets & pet care

For MoneySaving questions about taking care of your cat, dog, parrot or other animal companion, including vet fees and pet insurance.

15.9K discussions 249.9K comments Most recent: Purely Pets - Alarming email pre-warning of increased renewal by glasgowchick 21 July at 10:00AM

Joint Mortgage: ‘Buying’ more equity from Partner
I joined onto my partners mortgage and we are now Tennants in common. A Declaration of trust is in place to protect their initial deposit and equity before splitting the profits; should we split and sell house.They now wish for me to ‘purchase’ this equity for cash in order to support a large purchase. So we can re-write…
Power of Attorney - Selling Dads House
My father has very recently gone into a care home and will not be returning to his house. I have POA for finance and am going to sell his house in order to fund his on-going care. He is of sound mind and able to make decisions even though he is 92 years old. However, I assume that as I have POA I can sell his house and…
Beneficial interest in the valuation of a home in LA care financial assessment
My widowed mother owns her own leasehold home outright. She is in poor health and on a low income with no savings so we expect that she may eventually go into a care home. After about two years of living in a care / nursing home there will be no equity in the home to pass onto her children as per her will. I understand…
Power of attorney query - replacement attorney
We’ve done LPA property and finance for mother in law 3 attorneys joint and severally together with 1 replacement attorney. OPG have validated the LPA and we’ve just going to register with a bank and we’ve noticed there’s an incorrect DOB for the replacement attorney. As they’re not the list of attorneys is this an issue…
Threshold for funding own elderly care
Hi Newbie to the site, In 2020 my father died, and as my mother had dementia we had to put her in a home. We sold their home and mothers half has been used to finance her care ever since. Our understanding was when her pot got down to £23,250 that she would no longer have to contribute beyond her old age pension. We've…
Power of Attorney
It’s got to the point now where our mother will be discharged from hospital, where she’s been for the past 6/7 weeks, into a nursing home. We’ve had a discussion with medical staff today and it’s decided this will be in her best interests as she can’t cope at home and the home would provide her with the assurance of 24/7…
Child Trust Fund cash locked away.
Just seen recent information posted regarding children with disabilities accessing money. My granddaughter has a trust fund with One Family. Question; given this issue should we continue to pay into it, or should we start another form of savings for her?
Witness Warning
I received a letter from the Crown court yesterday. It said that the courts take a dim view of witnesses that do not attend without good reason. Is this a standard letter issued to witnesses?. I'm giving evidence against my former husband for coercive control in August.
Holiday costs following relationship breakdown
Hi all. I'd like some opinions on the fair thing to do in this situation please. Booked a holiday for Aug 2023 with partner at the time but we have recently parted ways. We both paid £192 deposit and I've paid the balance of £1157 (a week before splitting up as luck would have it). We'd agreed that I'll go solo on the…
Multiple financial attorneys on LPA
I'm very much an LPA novice but various relatives are at the point of considering them and for some reason I'm getting asked questions so I'd like to help if possible - one key one for starters: If a person designates multiple attorneys on their financial LPA, does that mean by default they have to act together…
Taking one name from double barrel. Deed poll?
Hoping someone who has been through something similar will be able to advise. I got married last year and want to change my surname to my husband's name. The problem is that he has a double barreled name (hyphenated). In day to day and professional life he only uses the first part of the double barrel. My intention is to…
mortgage deposit in relation to divorce settlement
hello, Looking for some advice if I put the whole 10 percent deposit down on a house and im married, however my wife doesn't contribute to the deposit. Will she be entitled to half the deposit if we separate?. I've spoken to different solicitors some say no and some say if we are married for 5 years she will be entitled to…
Giving money to relatives
My parents want to give me some money towards home renovations and other living expenses. I understand you can only give £3000 tax free as a gift per year. Is a way around this to open a joint bank account, my parents deposit the money in there (£40'000), and then me withdraw the money as and when I need it? Many thanks
Tenants in Common, 50% in trust
My husband and I own our bungalow as 50-50 tenants-in-common (ever since we bought it in 2015), and each of us have left our share to our son. When the first of us dies, our son inherits 50% in trust. He does not live in the bungalow. We are in our early 70s with no major health issues. If the remaining parent has to go…
Brother in law is causing upset. Update, help needed please.
My brother in law is really upsetting my sister by making a bogus claim. He had an accident at work. He did sustain an injury and need a knee operation but before the accident he had problems with the knee which he has not disclosed and as he never sought medical help there is nothing on his records to show he had the…
She will not give me the new address
I have two children with my ex-wife. She and her husband have moved house, and she refuses to give me her new address. The children have been poisoned against me, so I do not see them (their choice), although there is no (legal) reason why I shouldn't see them - i.e. no abuse,etc etc. I pay maintenance every month, and…
Can anyone suggest a bank where I can open a child saving account online (not in branch)
Help. I am trying to open a bank account for my 3 children online, I have spent about 5 hours doing this but no joy. Halifax says you can do it with a smart phone but went through the process and they want me to go into branch. I really want to open one online, the only one I have found is starling kite which is £2/month.…
Keeping chickens in gardens - is this unreasonable?
Hi. I'm just looking for other peoples opinions. We've just moved into our new house and discovered our neighbours keep chickens, (about 4 or 5 hens we think) next to our house. They have a really big garden, on a corner plot, so only have us as neighbours. There own house must be approx 50m away from these chickens. The…
Daughters upcoming wedding
Hello everyone Newbie here!! I would really love some advice about how to help my daughter have the wedding of her dreams! Btw she is 29 has been with her partner for 8 years & living in their own house which they did by themselves without any help from me except lots of practical! I am stuck as to know what to do atm try…
Can’t find NHS dental treatment for my son
My 15yr son is about to begin orthodontic treat. The orthodontist has said he needs 4 teeth removed first. Our current dentist has told us they now have no NHS dentists and will now be going all private. They quote £480 to remove the 4 teeth required. We have phoned loads of local dentists who have all told us the we won’t…