Ex won't sell our house

Banquo

My ex partner refuses to sell the house which we lived in together or buy my half (joint names on the deeds and paid for together).

I don't want to go the solicitor route yet because he'll take his anger out on our children by cutting them off.

Just wanted to know if there is any way he could change the house into his sole name without my knowledge after any period of time or at all?

When I recently visited the bank he had collected the deeds from them and I wasn't even informed.

RAS

If he has collected the deeds, it sound like the property was not regsitered with the Land Registry?

In which case you need to check with them whether it is now registered and on what basis. Costs £3.

I also think you should consider a complaint to the bank about them handing joint property to one party, unless of course you had not told them that you were separated?

Banquo

The bank knew we were separated, they said that as there is no outstanding mortgage they no longer hold deeds. They had written to his address (my old one) but not to me at my new one and said that it was fine for only one of us to collect the deeds. I down loaded the deeds and my name is on them but I'm worried that there may be a way he can change it?

RAS

So the property is registered; that is the good news.

He needs your signature to do anything. But to make double sure check out their fraud protection systems http://www.landregistry.gov.uk/public/property-fraud

What I cannot quite understand if you have children is why you do not have an occupation order?

Banquo

Thanks for the link, I'll check that out.

I stayed there for a while but decided I would rather leave so he moved back in. I just assumed that he would be decent enough to give me my share.

Land_Registry

RAS has already covered things for you it seems and it may be wise to consider the options available to you under the link provided. If you are registered as joint owners then the Property Alert service will at least provide you with a notification if anything significant is applied for with us such as a possible sale. I should stress that the available options are aimed at reducing the risk of property fraud. For example the alert service will simply notify you of any significant application; it will not prevent it from being registered so it is important to seek legal advice as to what next steps you can take as well.

As the property is registered the deeds will have no legal value with regards changing the ownership records.

The ultimate protection is of course that your are a registered owner. As such there are really only two ways that he could remove your from the title.
The first is through the courts, which from what you have posted so far, seems an unlikely route to take. The second is to somehow transfer the title but as RAS suggests as joint owner you would need to be involved.

If you are separated and not living at the property then I would suggest that you seek legal advice as to next steps with regards finalising the separation, if that is what is intended, around the assets, especially the property. That route may lead to an amicable split re the property/assets or a legal process to order what happens with the property etc

Banquo

Thank you so much RAS and Land Registry. I've followed the link and have a list of things to do now.