How to get a house put into my name

Bexs2010

In the 90’s I lived with my nan who had lived in her Coucil house for years, when the Coucil offered for her to buy it, she couldn’t afford it so I offered to get the mortgage with both our names. 

The mortgage has since been paid off, I over paid, my Nan barely paid anything it was all from my earnings, I moved out and left my Nan in the house until recently she has now gone to live with someone else.  

The house is obviously now mortgage free but how do I go about having the property in my name only? If anything was to happen to my Nan would it affect me? All my hard earned money has paid off that mortgage but I’m not sure what to do now 

TonyMMM

Is it registered to both of you, and is it as "joint tenants" or as "tenants in common" ?

Bexs2010

Yes registered to both and I’m not sure about the joint tenants or tenants in common bit 

Bexs2010

Apologies I should have mentioned, I had a letter drawn up by a solicitor that confirms I am responsible for owning the house but she is still on the mortgage 

GrumpyDil

If the property was registered as tenants in common then you each own a share of the property. If you own it as joint tenants then you both in effect own the entire property and it will automatically pass to the survivor on the first death of you and your nan.

You need to check the title deeds by downloading a copy from the land registry (not any other site offering a copy for a stupid price) for £3.00

Bookworm105

it is vital you establish if it is Joint Tenants or Tenants in Common

if it is JT then you automatically become sole owner when nan dies 

if it is TIC then somewhere is a document that specified what exact % each of you own. When nan dies her % can go to whoever she named in her will, it may not be you! If she has no will, then her % goes to her blood relatives in a rigid order under the "rules of intestacy", whereby for example, if her children are still alive they would get some of her share before you did.

I presume your desire to be listed as sole owner now is you planning to avoid her share being taken by the council if she ends in a care home paid for by the council? That may or not work depending on her age and state of health when the change in ownership is made - it is called "deprivation of capital". There are many criteria associated with that which are too complex to explain in this thread.

To answer your question, as you are apparently already a co-owner then get a solicitor to register the move to sole ownership with the Land registry. That is "all" that needs to be done - I would strongly advise against trying to DIY it.

NOTE
as you appear to already be a co-owner and you do not live in it, then you are already liable to pay Capital Gains Tax on your existing share of the property if it is sold before her death
Once. if you inherit her share and therefore own the 100% you would be liable to split CGT:
- firstly CGT on the share you already owned from the date you purchased it 
- secondly the share you inherited calculated from date you inherited it .