Relationship breakdown and property question

[toyoda_man]

Good evening all,

I purchased a property outright in 2018, funding it entirely myself. Stupidly, my partner and I are registered as joint tenants on the Land Registry title.

Not sure if it matters but during our time living in the property, she has not contributed financially - this includes bills, maintenance, or any building work.

Now that we’ve decided to part ways, I’m seeking some clarity on what the best and worst case scenarios might be regarding the division of proceeds from the property.

Any advice or insights would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you

[interstellar]

Were you married to her?

[Inbox]

My understanding is the default division would be 50:50, she did well.

Get some professional advice.

[toyoda_man]

• Not married *

Edited by toyoda_man on Saturday 4th October 18:02

Edited by toyoda_man on Saturday 4th October 18:03

[jonsp]

Inbox said:

My understanding is the default division would be 50:50, she did well.

Can he not over-ride that by showing he paid for the place (bank statements etc) and she contributed nothing to it's upkeep?

[Inbox]

jonsp said:

Inbox said:

My understanding is the default division would be 50:50, she did well.

Can he not over-ride that by showing he paid for the place (bank statements etc) and she contributed nothing to it's upkeep?

This is where it gets messy, if she realises that is her entitlement and you try to 'row' back on that well you can imagine how well that will go down.

The OP needs professional advice not an internet forum.

[Griffith4ever]

My mate did this. Not married, put her name on the registry / house in both names. Had 2 kids mind you. Lost over half the house.

I,on the other hand, did get married, did NOT put half of MY house in her name. Got divorced. Gave her a goodwill payment. Walked away.

[Arrivalist]

I think the OP is going to lose half the house BUT definitely needs professional advice.

[reggie747]

Griffith4ever said:

My mate did this. Not married, put her name on the registry / house in both names. Had 2 kids mind you. Lost over half the house.

I,on the other hand, did get married, did NOT put half of MY house in her name. Got divorced. Gave her a goodwill payment. Walked away.

Niiiiice.
Just what the OP wants to heart I guess.
Every body loves a wise guy

[Ace-T]

Firstly get advice. Not from a family lawyer as that is not what is happening here.

This is similar to my brothers situation.

Essentially you both own a house almost as if this was a commercial agreement if you bought it with a colleague as you are not married, therefore there is no family law stuff to consider.

A good lawyer will advise you on this basis. A bad one will bring in family law, which is not applicable. Guess what initially happened to my brother.

Secondly. Get advice.

[Byker28i]

I suspect you'll owe her half the profit from the house, so if it's sold now, what the difference from between when it was bought and when sold, less buying and selling fees.
If you work that out, can you offer around that for her to buy her out? But as said, get proper advice

[Griffith4ever]

reggie747 said:

Griffith4ever said:

My mate did this. Not married, put her name on the registry / house in both names. Had 2 kids mind you. Lost over half the house.

I,on the other hand, did get married, did NOT put half of MY house in her name. Got divorced. Gave her a goodwill payment. Walked away.

Niiiiice.
Just what the OP wants to heart I guess.
Every body loves a wise guy

You could take it that way, or, as it was meant to be - an example of both sides of the coin.

[Inbox]

BunkMoreland said:

reggie747 said:

Griffith4ever said:

My mate did this. Not married, put her name on the registry / house in both names. Had 2 kids mind you. Lost over half the house.

I,on the other hand, did get married, did NOT put half of MY house in her name. Got divorced. Gave her a goodwill payment. Walked away.

Niiiiice.
Just what the OP wants to heart I guess.
Every body loves a wise guy

It is last few seconds, pure comedy, moment of truth, etc.

[Ace-T]

You can own a property as either joint tenants or tenants in common .

The type of ownership affects what you can do with the property if your relationship with a joint owner breaks down, or if one owner dies.

https://www.gov.uk/joint-property-ownership/change...

https://hmlandregistry.blog.gov.uk/2022/11/02/what...

https://osborneslaw.com/blog/tenants-in-common-vs-...

Edited by Ace-T on Sunday 5th October 23:05

[Actual]

lizardbrain said:

I think joint tenants literally means you have equal rights to the property.

When I did similar I had contract drawn up recording my contribution etc and had it updated down the line but i doubt it will mean much in the end. I expect the joint tenant to override if it ever is disputed

End of the day joint tenants is a big statement and a legally binding one

In this situation what difference does joint tenants make vs tenants in common?

[Arrivalist]

Actual said:

lizardbrain said:

I think joint tenants literally means you have equal rights to the property.

When I did similar I had contract drawn up recording my contribution etc and had it updated down the line but i doubt it will mean much in the end. I expect the joint tenant to override if it ever is disputed

End of the day joint tenants is a big statement and a legally binding one

In this situation what difference does joint tenants make vs tenants in common?

JT you both own the entire property.
TiC you both own a share (which doesn’t have to be equal)

Under JT the property passes to the other person on death.
Under TiC you pass your share to whoever you want under you will.

[lizardbrain]

Another way to look at it is that you put a partner as a joint owner on a house precisely because you want them to own half of the house. Perhaps it's the best reason of all.