Nan paid 1/2 for mums house, no name on deeds where does she stand when they sell?

A_little_stressed!!

I don't know if this is the right thread, please put me in thr right direction if not.

I'm in desperate need for advice for my nan.

In 1996 we moved 50miles away from where we had always lived, my mum & dad sold their house and my nan sold hers to buy a big house for us all to live in. The house they have was £90,000 and my nan put in aprox £30,000.
She has no name on the deeds, only my mum & dad. Also no name on the mortgage as she paid her bit upfront.

It is a 3 storey house so my nan has had the top floor as her 'flat' there is no front door, but she has a bedroom, lounge, bathroom and mini kitchen on the landing.
I was 11 when we moved but I remember discussing my nan eventually moving into the dining room on the ground floor, when she could no longer use the stairs.

My dad has now moved out and only has a flat, my mum still lives there with my brother and sister (of school age)
My nan has now been struggling with the stairs and no1 has mentioned her moving to the dining room, when I try and bring it up she (my mother) pretends she knows nothing of those plans

My nan has now applied for council accomadation as she cannot continue with the stairs for much longer.
Shes 86, recovered from cancer just over a year ago, and is an absolute angel! She deserves so much better than this!

My mum has also talked of selling up and moving away, again with no mention of where my nan would live!!:mad: :mad:

Does my nan have any rights when they sell the house? Or make her sell to get her money back? She has no money to find somewhere else.

She has also paid £200 a month towards bills!! I cannot believe they can be that high!!

merlinthehappypig

I think that you need to take proper legal advise. You will get some answers on here, but the situation is too important to ask about on a forum.

We have looked into this from the other side as we are contemplating doing what your Nan and parents did. My understanding is that, in that situation, your nan would have little legal right to anything from the house. Arguing that she put money into the house would hold little legal water without proof.

Can I also suggest that either (or both) Shelter's and Help the Aged's helplines as well. we have used both and they have been excellent, but the advice they give is, of course, very general.

I'm pretty certain that some solicitors give you half an hour free.

It's a very difficult situation and I hope it resolves itself in the best way for your nan.

A_little_stressed!!

Thank you, I have told her to go to citizens advice, and they should be able to show her how to get a free solicitor or similar. She is of very able mind and wants to get this done mainly herself. when she gets more information I can help her take things further.

Loretta

A_little_stressed!! wrote: »

I don't know if this is the right thread, please put me in thr right direction if not.

I'm in desperate need for advice for my nan.

In 1996 we moved 50miles away from where we had always lived, my mum & dad sold their house and my nan sold hers to buy a big house for us all to live in. The house they have was £90,000 and my nan put in aprox £30,000.
She has no name on the deeds, only my mum & dad. Also no name on the mortgage as she paid her bit upfront.

It is a 3 storey house so my nan has had the top floor as her 'flat' there is no front door, but she has a bedroom, lounge, bathroom and mini kitchen on the landing.
I was 11 when we moved but I remember discussing my nan eventually moving into the dining room on the ground floor, when she could no longer use the stairs.

My dad has now moved out and only has a flat, my mum still lives there with my brother and sister (of school age)
My nan has now been struggling with the stairs and no1 has mentioned her moving to the dining room, when I try and bring it up she (my mother) pretends she knows nothing of those plans

My nan has now applied for council accomadation as she cannot continue with the stairs for much longer.
Shes 86, recovered from cancer just over a year ago, and is an absolute angel! She deserves so much better than this!

My mum has also talked of selling up and moving away, again with no mention of where my nan would live!!:mad: :mad:

Does my nan have any rights when they sell the house? Or make her sell to get her money back? She has no money to find somewhere else.

She has also paid £200 a month towards bills!! I cannot believe they can be that high!!

There will be a paper trail for the money. When she sold her house she must have put the money somewhere and she must have written a cheque or transfered the money from her bank to give to your parents.

I think that if she applies to the Council she will not only have a very long wait but they also may want to know how it all came about, and if they find that she has put money in the house they may want to come and see your Mother and discuss the situation. I don't expect they have heard of this before.

I would think that this is not an usual situation , it sounds good at the beginning when Granny is fit and has some money to put into a bigger house but then becomes inconvenient when she gets older and perhaps her money has run out.

I would think that somewhere like Age Concern hears this quite often and would be a good starting point for some advice and would be able to point you in the right direction

margaretclare

Anyone who considers doing something like this (what the OP's family did in 1996) - please be warned. Granny put money into this house with the expectation that she'd have a home as long as she needed to, a 'granny flat', sounds like an excellent idea in theory. She was trusting, thought as it was all 'within the family' she had no need to bother about legal issues, her share properly recognised, she thought she'd be OK. From my own personal experience of money transactions within families, nowadays I'd have it all legally recognised from day one, but that's from the depths of bitter experience! Additionally, no one in 1996 foresaw the huge rise in house values, and people who bought then may think of selling up now and making a killing.

I can understand that now a big house is too big for the reduced number of people who live there. I do feel sorry for the grandmother and I don't know what the answer is. But please, anyone who thinks of doing similar - get it all tied up legally before you hand over the value of your own house in exchange for no security and just trusting to a 'gentleman's agreement'.

Margaret

Debt_Free_Chick

The easiest and clearest way to prove you have "an interest" in a property is to have your name on the deeds.

If your name is not on the deeds, then you need to prove that you've contributed to the property. Paying some "of the bills" is not enough - a tenant in a rented property pays all of the bills (gas, water, leccy, food etc) but has no right to an interest in the property.

So ... without Nan's name on the deeds, she needs to prove her contribution.

However, if she proves she has an interest in this property, she may not be entitled to Council housing. Best to check out all the options