Gifted Deposit query

iamguyster

I am just starting the process of buying a house. My wife had an arrangement over quite a few years to pay money into her mother's bank account as a way of saving as we were struggling with a budget and having it buried away like that prevented us from touching it. yes, I know, it's a bit bizarre but then my wife has her odd little ways around money and for the best part of a decade she has looked after the family finances.

We now have £6k saved and need to use it for a deposit. When asked during the application process if the deposit was a gift I said no. It's now been mentioned that it might be checked that I had that money in my account for a certain time and as it's going to be transferred this week, obviously it will look like a gift.

Can anyone explain to a novice like me:
1) Will this affect my mortgage?
2) Will I have to declare it as a gift, even though it's originally our money?

I just thought on (I've married into a family with very odd financial practices), but I suspect my wife didn't even set up a bank transfer but just gave money to her mother who would physically deposit it. her mother doesn't even use a bank card. She likes to speak to someone at the desk and make sure transactions are done.

Thanks for any advice!

Thrugelmir

Declare the money as a gift. No reason for an amount as small as £6k to be an issue.