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Parent moving in, contributing to cost of house, but don't want on mortgage, is there a way?

Hi all, I'm hoping you can help! I think this is a common question (and I have looked at past posts first!) Myself and my partner want to move to a bigger home, we also want his mum to move with us but to move into a separate building e.g. converted outhouse etc. We'd like to use the money from the sale of our current flat and her current home to give us the basis of our mortgage. However she is now 82 (a very healthy 82!) but 82 so herself and we would like her not to be on the new mortgage. But I just can't see how this would work e.g. using her money... any advice large or small to help us would be massively appreciated!  
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Comments

  • You might want to google ‘deprivation of assets’ as well especially as she is 82
  • penners324
    penners324 Posts: 3,206 Forumite
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    edited 10 November 2022 at 6:35AM
    She would have to gift you the money from the dake of her house. In writing.

    However, there are Inheritance Tax and Deprivation of Assets issues (ie if she went into a care home, the Council can still consider that money as her's and thus request it be used to pay for the care home)
  • tacpot12
    tacpot12 Posts: 8,839 Forumite
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    There might also be an issue with her own financial stability/safety. If you were to seperate from your partner, and she retained no financial interest in the new property, you could force a sale and you would be able to take half the proceeds; money that was morally hers. (We see plenty of requests for advice from seperating, unmarried couples on MSE, so it's difficult not to regard it as a possibility, even if you would never do such a thing.)

    It would be much better if she could loan you both the money from the sale of her house, and you buy somewhere that didn't need a mortgage. The loan would secured on the house. Trying to juggle the lenders interest with three other people's is going to be difficult. She might need independent advice, especially as any such gift would leave her unable to get funding for care she might need if her health takes a turn for the worse.  
    The comments I post are my personal opinion. While I try to check everything is correct before posting, I can and do make mistakes, so always try to check official information sources before relying on my posts.
  • silvercar
    silvercar Posts: 48,263 Ambassador
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    Easiest way would be for her to sell her place and gift you the money for a deposit. You could separately document that she has done this and that the money is repayable on sale or whenever. 

    Do you have siblings? If so, always best to discuss these sort of things openly.
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  • simon_or
    simon_or Posts: 890 Forumite
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    edited 10 November 2022 at 9:20AM
    I don't know about the mortgage but about the rest -
    Deprivation of assets - You situation is almost exactly the same as described in this article https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/pensions/article-6130445/Will-council-force-sell-house-cover-dads-care-bills.html except better as your mum is in good health. I've worked in this area previously and there's a huge lot of unnecessary scaremongering about it. For it to be considered doa, at the time of making the gift there has to be intention and a reasonable expectation that the person will need care. Not all elderly people go into long term care - estimates start from 1 in 4 (Dilnot commission) upwards and if your mum is currently in good health and able to manage her affairs independently, there's no reason to expect that she will go into long term care.
    IHT - even if your mum had assets exceeding 325k IHT threshold, gifting them while she's alive can actually be a form of tax planning as it will reduce the amount of IHT payable upon death. If she lives for 7 years the gifted amount avoids it completely and if she dies within 7 years, you get proportionate taper relief.

  • K_S
    K_S Posts: 6,836 Forumite
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    edited 10 November 2022 at 2:34PM
    Hi all, I'm hoping you can help! I think this is a common question (and I have looked at past posts first!) Myself and my partner want to move to a bigger home, we also want his mum to move with us but to move into a separate building e.g. converted outhouse etc. We'd like to use the money from the sale of our current flat and her current home to give us the basis of our mortgage. However she is now 82 (a very healthy 82!) but 82 so herself and we would like her not to be on the new mortgage. But I just can't see how this would work e.g. using her money... any advice large or small to help us would be massively appreciated!  
    @familywarrior What you've outlined is not unusual and the mortgage part of it is fairly straightforward with the right lender.

    What you need is a lender that allow non-borrowing adult occupiers and allows them to contribute to the deposit, and there are a decent number of mainstream lenders that will allow that. With most lenders (not all) your mother will need to sign an occupier's consent form but that would be the same even if your spouse weren't on the mortgage.

    Edit: The above doesn't factor in the criteria about the annex/outhouse/outbuildings as that adds an additional level of complexity depending on the details and the specific lender policy.

    I am a Mortgage Adviser - You should note that this site doesn't check my status as a mortgage adviser, so you need to take my word for it. This signature is here as I follow MSE's Mortgage Adviser Code of Conduct. Any posts on here are for information and discussion purposes only and shouldn't be seen as financial advice. 

    PLEASE DO NOT SEND PMs asking for one-to-one-advice, or representation.

  • kingstreet
    kingstreet Posts: 39,029 Forumite
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    K_S said:
    Hi all, I'm hoping you can help! I think this is a common question (and I have looked at past posts first!) Myself and my partner want to move to a bigger home, we also want his mum to move with us but to move into a separate building e.g. converted outhouse etc. We'd like to use the money from the sale of our current flat and her current home to give us the basis of our mortgage. However she is now 82 (a very healthy 82!) but 82 so herself and we would like her not to be on the new mortgage. But I just can't see how this would work e.g. using her money... any advice large or small to help us would be massively appreciated!  
    @familywarrior What you've outlined is not unusual and the mortgage part of it is fairly straightforward with the right lender.

    What you need is a lender that allow non-borrowing adult occupiers and allows them to contribute to the deposit, and there are a decent number of mainstream lenders that will allow that. With most lenders (not all) your mother will need to sign an occupier's consent form but that would be the same even if your spouse weren't on the mortgage.
    + the annexe K_S!
    I am a mortgage broker. You should note that this site doesn't check my status as a Mortgage Adviser, so you need to take my word for it. This signature is here as I follow MSE's Mortgage Adviser Code of Conduct. Any posts on here are for information and discussion purposes only and shouldn't be seen as financial advice. Please do not send PMs asking for one-to-one-advice, or representation.
  • K_S
    K_S Posts: 6,836 Forumite
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    K_S said:
    Hi all, I'm hoping you can help! I think this is a common question (and I have looked at past posts first!) Myself and my partner want to move to a bigger home, we also want his mum to move with us but to move into a separate building e.g. converted outhouse etc. We'd like to use the money from the sale of our current flat and her current home to give us the basis of our mortgage. However she is now 82 (a very healthy 82!) but 82 so herself and we would like her not to be on the new mortgage. But I just can't see how this would work e.g. using her money... any advice large or small to help us would be massively appreciated!  
    @familywarrior What you've outlined is not unusual and the mortgage part of it is fairly straightforward with the right lender.

    What you need is a lender that allow non-borrowing adult occupiers and allows them to contribute to the deposit, and there are a decent number of mainstream lenders that will allow that. With most lenders (not all) your mother will need to sign an occupier's consent form but that would be the same even if your spouse weren't on the mortgage.
    + the annexe K_S!
    @kingstreet You're right, completely ignored that part! :)

    I am a Mortgage Adviser - You should note that this site doesn't check my status as a mortgage adviser, so you need to take my word for it. This signature is here as I follow MSE's Mortgage Adviser Code of Conduct. Any posts on here are for information and discussion purposes only and shouldn't be seen as financial advice. 

    PLEASE DO NOT SEND PMs asking for one-to-one-advice, or representation.

  • Exodi
    Exodi Posts: 3,374 Forumite
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    Hi all, I'm hoping you can help! I think this is a common question (and I have looked at past posts first!) Myself and my partner want to move to a bigger home, we also want his mum to move with us but to move into a separate building e.g. converted outhouse etc. We'd like to use the money from the sale of our current flat and her current home to give us the basis of our mortgage. However she is now 82 (a very healthy 82!) but 82 so herself and we would like her not to be on the new mortgage. But I just can't see how this would work e.g. using her money... any advice large or small to help us would be massively appreciated!  
    If you could come back to this thread, could you confirm that both she and yourslves would like her not to be on the new mortgage and not to be on the deeds also? I think most (myself included) assume you mean that she'd be on neither, effectively gifting you the money, but it's always good to be sure.

    Outside of the potential DoA issue that was raised, it should be fully considered whether this is in her best interests - and all eventualities should be considered.

    I refer you to tacpot12's post -
    tacpot12 said:
    There might also be an issue with her own financial stability/safety. If you were to seperate from your partner, and she retained no financial interest in the new property, you could force a sale and you would be able to take half the proceeds; money that was morally hers. (We see plenty of requests for advice from seperating, unmarried couples on MSE, so it's difficult not to regard it as a possibility, even if you would never do such a thing.)
    No-one that is planning to buy a house together is planning on breaking up, but people do break up.

    If you are married, or got married (or even if you don't, but she contributes towards the mortgage), the mothers gift, which is likely just an early inheritance to her child in disguise, would be split in half against the mothers potential wishes.
    Know what you don't
  • diystarter7
    diystarter7 Posts: 5,202 Forumite
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    She would have to gift you the money from the dake of her house. In writing.

    However, there are Inheritance Tax and Deprivation of Assets issues (ie if she went into a care home, the Council can still consider that money as her's and thus request it be used to pay for the care home)
    What I would have posted, thanks.
    I'll add that if you go ahead OP and do what your are thinking about, your mum may fall out with you, your OH or want to move somewhere else, what will happen then? We have a few people in our road over 90, most drive and or walk long distances to a shop and back with the help of a trolley to carry shopping so what I am saying she could change her mind what do you do then?


    Re the deprivation of assets, if she is in good health, no reason why he can't live at least another 12/14 years as women often outlive men and just in case she does not, who was to know what was around the corner - therefore deprivation of assets is a difficult one - possibly consult the duty social worker re dep of assets without giving your details.


    Via work when I worked a few times a year I'd seen where a parent the other deceased sold up and moved in with one of their children and family - it rarely worked out. Living seprately has a better chance of a good outcome but better still is you move into a property near her or she does and could be an apartment for the older group - 


    Your choice and good luck
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