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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To be upset about my sister being given a house by my parents

332 replies

mammamia77 · 13/05/2023 20:44

My parents own two houses (one they live in and the other they rent out). The mortgage on the house they rent out is coming to an end and my parents have been deciding if they want to keep their current tenants or sell up. That was until today when my dad mentioned 'gifting' the house to my sister (aged 20) as another option. Obviously I know that the house belongs to my parents and they are free to do whatever they want with it, but I couldn't help feeling upset about this.

I'm 27 and bought my property aged 25 through hard work and years of saving, so I feel that it is unfair that I had to work so hard to buy my house and my sister just gets gifted with one. My sister could sense I was a bit annoyed over the situation and said something along the lines of 'I don't know what your problem is, you already have your own house'

So, AIBU unreasonable for feeling a bit pissed off that my sister may be given a house basically for free when I had to work so hard for mine?

OP posts:
SpringTime2020 · 15/05/2023 19:17

Personally, I think YABU. You've had enormous privilege and so much help from your parents, it seems really childish to say 'it's not fair'. I'm sure you'll continue to benefit from your generous parents. I would count my blessings.

Overthehill123 · 15/05/2023 19:15

Mumsnet madness at its finest. You're torn apart for living at home rent free and then equally told you couldn't have saved to buy a house and you must be lying😂

Not sure if people realise that not everyone makes 100k a year but we are more than capable of saving and owning a property on our measly pauper wages😂

Your parents are being totally unreasonable.

Oblomov23 · 15/05/2023 19:14

So what are you going to do now? Are you going to speak up? You never said anything at the time but are you gonna say something now? More fool you if you don't.

Dutch1e · 15/05/2023 19:12

I can't really find anything defensible in your parents' line of thinking. The blatant favouristism has been well-covered but I'm also strugglimg to get past casual chats about booting out some poor tenant so a 20 yr old can have more room for her diamonds or whatever.

Gross.

leli · 15/05/2023 19:12

You have my profound sympathy over this. I think it’s awful and profoundly unjust. I’m in my 60s, mum of 2, and I try to be fair in my financial gifts. I get on very well with my younger brother and I sometimes think it’s because our parents were fair to us. When they got to the end of their lives, my brother were able to supplier each other and them. In their wills, no surprises, everything split 50/50. Mine will be the same.

Your parents are setting your sister and you up for conflict, how very foolish of them. And your sister sounds like an entitled wench!

caringcarer · 15/05/2023 19:11

LadyGaGasPokerFace · 13/05/2023 21:21

What your parents should be doing is selling the rental and splitting the money between you and your ds.

This would be the fairest option. Your sister would still have a decent deposit but you could pay a good chunk down on your mortgage. Could you quietly have a word with your parents and suggest this to them.

maddiemookins16mum · 15/05/2023 19:11

YANBU, I’d be raging.

summermode · 15/05/2023 19:10

Their money their choice. But the choice is a bad choice for the family(even though they may plan to leave their main resident to op).

Best choice is to continue the current situation and have extra stable rental income. Parents can use the extra money to treat themselves, or help the daughters out. If they want to, they may even save the rental money and put aside as the deposit for younger daughter.

Worst choice is to gift the property to one, resulting in broken relationships. Not worth it.

caringcarer · 15/05/2023 19:05

OP we are at the moment selling a house to my youngest son for £50k undervalue and we got a low valuation from EA too as we took out old kitchen and took up old laminate for valuation for mortgage company and house having new laminate and kitchen before he buys it so he's probably getting closer to £65k in value. I've told my older two children who already have a house that you get will be inheriting less when we die. We have other properties in a Ltd company they can inherit from. Our reasons for doing this is our youngest has saved hard to save up £10k on his own in a LISA. Other DC got a £10k deposit help when they bought their homes. I spoke to older DC before I made you get the offer. He is single and house prices have risen so buying at full price would mean he could not buy his own home. My other children said they are ok with it. Do you think your parents would even it up in their will? You could ask if they are just letting your sister live there whilst she saves a deposit or gifting it to her outright as you still presumably have a mortgage. It always causes issues when parents treat DC differently and don't keep things fair.

Spiderbaby13 · 15/05/2023 19:05

Your parents will have to pay capital gains tax on the gift of a property that is not their main residence. This will be based on the increase in value since they bought it, and potentially increases the overall value of the gift to your sister as they will have to pay it.

FWIW I think it is incredibly unfair to you

strawberry2017 · 15/05/2023 19:04

I think you need to explain how it makes you feel. If they don't know they may be naive enough to think you actually don't mind.

WonderingWanda · 15/05/2023 19:03

I think I would've immediately begun some very immature ranting at my sibling if they'd asked what my problem was about that. Well done for your restrained and mature approach op.

Next time it comes up loudly say to both your sibling and your parents 'I'm not bothered, it just means dsis will be looking after you when you are old and infirm to repay your generosity and I'm off the hook as I managed to buy my place all on my own'

ArthurChristmas22 · 15/05/2023 18:57

Op, I absolutely understand this as my parents presented exactly the same scenario to me about 13 years ago. Out of the house they informed.me they'd will their house to my DSis as she 'wasnt as well off as me'. I'm not on a huge salary before anyone asks, I left home at 18, went to Uni in grant maintenance days, got a degree and have worked very hard all my life (something my family acknowledge). DSis lived at home until she was 32, never paid rent, saved huge amounts and put down a vast deposit. She's had a very small mortgage as a result. Overall, her household income has been less and more than ours. But her home is much smaller, she's had other treats I haven't.
They were shocked by my reaction and didn't understand why I'd be upset. They felt they were 'evening out' our circumstances. To this day, I don't know what's in their Will now. My DSis to her credit didn't know and was shocked when she found out. She made her life choices, I made mine.
I have two children. I'd split any funds 50/50. Unless,.one was significantly wealthier than the other. And then I'd sit down with them and communicate, like I'd hope someone would talk to me.

mammamia77 · 15/05/2023 18:56

feellikeanalien · 15/05/2023 18:49

Hate to tell you Op but you've made the Daily Mail.

😂 have you got a link?

OP posts:
Aesop45 · 15/05/2023 18:55

@mammamia77 anyone banging on about how you managed to save and buy a house so are just being moronically augmentative and probably a tad bitter, good for you.

Of course it is completely unfathomable that your parents are suggesting giving your sister a house and not you. Why on earth would anyone think this is acceptable, to give one child a colossal life advantage like this and not the other.

They should sell the house and split the proceeds equally between you. Your sister can still buy a property or get small mortgage. You can pay some of yours off. They can give her a few extra G’s for furniture etc like you had.

If my parents did this to me that would end our relationship, yes it’s their money to do as they choose but why would they choose to do something so obviously unfair and hurtful to one child.

And your sister sounds like a grabby brat too, I’m sure she wouldn’t feel the situation was so acceptable if it was the other way around.

feellikeanalien · 15/05/2023 18:49

Hate to tell you Op but you've made the Daily Mail.

AdopterMum · 15/05/2023 18:40

I’m sure legally that your sister would owe a hefty amount to HMRC if she was “gifted” a house by your parents - a percentage of todays value of the house. There’s a max amount of worth you’re allowed to be gifted tax-free per year - I think it’s £10k (might be more now). Otherwise parents would gift houses to their children before death frequently, so the government guards against this.

Evan456 · 15/05/2023 18:38

Maybe they’re going to leave you the house they’re living in

Leftbutcameback · 15/05/2023 18:30

i don’t think you’re being unreasonable. My DHs parents are always scrupulously fair about giving the same to both children even though one is much better off. I couldn’t understand at the start but I do now. It’s the fair way to do it (unless there’s a circumstance which means one child isn’t able to work and save, or look after themselves).

teejaytee · 15/05/2023 18:28

Happened in our family: husband & I worked selves into ground while raising 3 children, forgoing all luxuries like holidays & dining out to foot the decades-long mortgage bills. Parents, both from hard-up families so v careful at saving and 'desperate for equality' as my father put it more than once, put aside enough to 'help' us with housing. One sister & I got a modest deposit; other sister + brother got bought a home each and both homes since tripled in value. Always promising 'it will be equalled out', parents put contingency funds in reserve to compensate but they were largely swallowed up in care costs when the housed siblings decided not to fund live-in care when parents got v old; father, with Parkinsons, fell when part-time carers not there and died in hospital; mother, by then with dementia, had to go into care home. Bro & sister with inherited homes, who paid nothing towards care home, then rent them out, magnifying their profits incrementally for life - thanks to other sister's & my sacrifices & investments. Yes, it does affect relationships profoundly. And yes, it should at all costs be avoided.

Middleagedspreadisreal · 15/05/2023 18:24

This happened to me. My sister was always better off than me, never had to struggle whereas I couldn't afford to eat sometimes. Yet she got a large chunk of money to buy a bigger house and I got nothing. No discussion. Just got 'oh well, it's done now'. And it bloody hurt. And made me very angry and bitter for years. But that was only affecting me. Not them. So I had to learn to let it go. Sort of. As others have said, their money, their choice. But you need to let them know how you feel, if only to get it off your chest.

Bunnycat101 · 15/05/2023 18:24

Hideously unfair. Taking the house of the question, clearly anyone would be pissed off (not withstanding exceptional circs such as significant disability) if parents have one sibling £200k and the other £0k. It sounds like they have both had the chance to live rent free so that needs to be taken out of the equation.

Doggydarling · 15/05/2023 18:17

You're right to be pissed off and I'd advise you to make your feelings known. I've been through similar, I was gifted money as was my brother, mine went towards building my house (it wasn't near enough to finish a house, average size,nothing grand), brothers went to finishing his mortgage, all good at that stage but then he decided he wanted to move, told our parents where he was wasn't good for his dc so our parents told him they'd give him the money to move, this cost €750,000 and he moved all of ten minutes from his original house which he rented out, dc stayed in same school, same clubs, same friends, absolutely no difference in their life other than a bigger house. This is over a decade ago, parents hardly see him, he's no good when they're ill or need help, my younger ds and I take care of them but in the back of my mind is a feeling of injustice that won't go away. Db was always treated differently, with kid gloves almost since childhood, he can carry a grudge for the smallest of things and make those around him miserable and I think this is why my dp's treated him that way, it was easier than him sulking. Don't stay quiet, don't be stuck working and paying a mortgage while your ds has it easy, let your parents know its unfair.

DejaVoodoo · 15/05/2023 18:16

NotAHouse · 15/05/2023 13:50

Buying a house on a teacher's salary after saving for 5 years. Impressive.

Not especially. My son bombed out of uni, lazed about till 22, and still was able to buy a nice house at 26. He joined the armed forces at 22, lived on base for very little and saved like crazy. Bought his house four years later. We gave him £8K and there was a help to buy scheme, but mostly it was his hard work and saving (also, he lives in a cheap part of the country!)

OP, I think your parents have been hideously unfair. I can't imagine giving one of my (5!) DC a gift worth £Khundreds and the others nothing, regardless of how well they've done.