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AIBU?

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Original poster

Husband says I’ve signed over the house to him without me knowing

302 replies

InternetSafe · 29/08/2023 13:14

My husband often jokes that he has tricked me into signing the house over to him. He has said it for years. It’s really tedious but last night he said it again and added ‘check the deeds’. We paid off our home about 10 years ago and it is quite a valuable property for our area.

There have been occasions when I am busy working and he has put papers in front of me and asked me to sign so he can get them in the post (mainly to do with correspondence to our accountant for example).

But this is not possible surely? I mean as a married couple I am entitled to half anyway aren’t I? He is playing mind games with me and I’m not sure what to believe anymore

OP posts:
Thread gallery
9
Longagonow96 · 30/08/2023 14:13

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

God forbid people should be deprived of their voyeuristic entertainment, eh?🙄

Flossieflamingo · 30/08/2023 14:21

Our property is only in my name but we have been advised that it is a marital asset. In the event that we went our separate ways, the house would not be mine.

SweetieLie · 30/08/2023 14:37

You can't just "sign" a house over to someone else - it is not that easy. When my DH and I bought our first house. He ended up having to buy it on his own. I was recently self-employed and the mortgage company wouldn't include my income, but classed me as a dependent if I was a joint owner. If I wasn't, despite us being married, I basically was out of the picture (for their purposes).

Few years later we remortgaged, after the financial crash late 2000s and it had all changed. I was now a dependent and so I needed to get on the house deeds so my income could be included for the mortgage. My husband then had to gift me half the house we had to pay some stamp duty because the value of the mortgage was over the Stamp Duty Land Tax.

Solicitors had to be involved. The mortgage company had to be aware of what was going on. So, no, I doubt (unless there was something seriously dodgy go on including solicitors not doing due diligence) that you could have not realised and signed property over to him.

In any event, you are married. It would be considered a joint asset as it's the FMH (doesn't matter who is on deeds).

My bigger concern if he had managed to get property into his sole name would be him putting loans, charges on it without your knowledge.

My advice:

  • Do a search at the Land Registry?
  • Consider if you want to be with this man.
GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 30/08/2023 14:49

Just for the record, you can register (for free)with the Land Reg who will notify you of any activity as regards a certain property. You do not need to own it.

Dh has registered our house, a flat we own, and both dds’ houses. This is a protection against of the kind of major fraud where someone manages to sell a house they don’t own - as has happened more than once recently. They walk off with the cash - promptly sent off to somewhere dodgy - and the poor would-be buyer is left high and dry, not to mention the true owners being stupefied as to how it could have happened.

CanadianJohn · 30/08/2023 15:09

I think "check the deeds" is the latest iteration of "cancel the cheque".

Surely it's not too much to ask of posters to read the OP's posts before suggesting an action that has aready been done.

PollyThePixie · 30/08/2023 15:19

You can't just "sign" a house over to someone else - it is not that easy

It’s no where near as difficult as people are implying. I was able to do it from our home abroad after visiting our UK based solicitor in person to tell them what I wanted to happen. They then did the paperwork and couriered it to me and I waited for the right time to have my husband sign it. It was witnessed by a staff member. It was very straight forward but the house wasn’t mortgaged so that perhaps helped.

ifIwerenotanandroid · 30/08/2023 15:21

Now that you've had a talk with him, if he makes these sorts of jokes again (about other subjects) you can at least refer back to this one, saying eg, "THAT wasn't funny & neither is THIS." Let it become a shorthand for the unacceptable side of his humour.

justasking111 · 30/08/2023 15:23

InternetSafe · 30/08/2023 08:55

No they haven’t been changed

Show quote history

I'm relieved for you. My OH has form for this type of thing and will bluster that he's only joking if challenged. I've just spent two days upending the office because he said I had lost important documents. This morning I phoned the business concerned and yes he left them there. It's so cruel of them

It's tough take care @InternetSafe .

Muu · 30/08/2023 15:55

It’s only a joke if you’re trying to make the other person laugh too. Scaring someone or riling them up because you get a kick out of it is just being shitty. I have a relative who “jokes” like this… he has pushed a lot of people away by doing it.

you should tell him stop, it’s not funny.

SmudgeButt · 30/08/2023 16:42

"What on earth do you mean, dear heart?! Do you mean you have defrauded your own loving wife?? Oh my! I wonder what a divorce court would think of that when it came to division of property!!?! In fact I'm sure I read something that the wife would get 100% in any such situation and then 75% of all the husband's other assets including all pensions rather than the standard 50%. But you wouldn't be so silly to try to defraud me would you dearest?!"

Anxioys · 30/08/2023 16:47

What a copper bottomed twat this guy is. Tell him to shut up about it.

Skybluecoat · 30/08/2023 17:04

InternetSafe · 30/08/2023 09:31

Thank you. I’m ok. My husband has always had a weird sense of humour and it seems to be getting worse lately as he has a couple of health concerns which is also effecting him mentally. Rather than being typically depressed, it’s made him more sarcastic and what he calls ‘jovial’, normally this is not a problem as I know him so well, but I was second guessing lately as maybe I’m not in a great place myself.

I did sit him down and he said ‘do you ever think I would do anything like that? You are the most important person in my life and I love you more than anything’. This did make me feel better, but he can’t seem to get past this sarcasm and ‘jokes’.

Show quote history

But you said he has been saying this for years, so it isn’t some recent affliction is it?

He’s a Wankbadger

ZadocPDederick · 30/08/2023 17:05

ILoveMyCaravan · 30/08/2023 13:20

@InternetSafe a friends husband did exactly that. She had unwittingly signed papers to remortgage the house. Done in the same way you have described.

This was the tip of the iceberg though. By the time she found out, there was no money or valuables left. The house she thought was now mortgage free, was in fact mortgaged to the hilt. She divorced him and is now, 30 years after first buying the house, paying off the mortgage from scratch...

Not sure your friend is telling you the whole story. Mortgage companies won't lend in those circumstances unless they have confirmation from an independent solicitor that they have fully advised the spouse and spouse wants to go ahead.

WotsitsMadeIn1927 · 30/08/2023 17:44

I wouldn’t trust him, why would he joke about something like that?

Gaslighting.

Please check all paperwork and protect yourself OP 💐

Winterjoy · 30/08/2023 18:12

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 30/08/2023 14:49

Just for the record, you can register (for free)with the Land Reg who will notify you of any activity as regards a certain property. You do not need to own it.

Dh has registered our house, a flat we own, and both dds’ houses. This is a protection against of the kind of major fraud where someone manages to sell a house they don’t own - as has happened more than once recently. They walk off with the cash - promptly sent off to somewhere dodgy - and the poor would-be buyer is left high and dry, not to mention the true owners being stupefied as to how it could have happened.

This might be a good idea OP as I believe the Land Registry are over a year behind on processing applications etc so any recent updates may not be showing online yet

Noodles1234 · 30/08/2023 18:26

Check your deeds immediately, this sounds either an odd (ongoing) foolish prank or narcissistic behaviour.

as it is ongoing it feels like he is taunting you with his knowledge. I have heard this happening, if so you get a solicitor as you have signed under false pretences, I’m not a solicitor but I have heard of this being reversed.

If it is nonsense have a strong word and be guarded in the future. I would write a will with the help of a solicitor to ensure your wishes are set in stone, I would even mention what he has done to them so they may be able to set something up (?)
either way it seems a bit of a red flag to me.

PUGMEISTER21 · 30/08/2023 18:26

Yeah, agree this guy is not funny and a complete arse, sounds a bit controlling. Get rid. No one deserves to be put under that sort of anxiety. This guy is supposed to love and look after you as you are for him. Not ridicule you.

PenguinPete · 30/08/2023 18:27

InternetSafe · 29/08/2023 13:14

My husband often jokes that he has tricked me into signing the house over to him. He has said it for years. It’s really tedious but last night he said it again and added ‘check the deeds’. We paid off our home about 10 years ago and it is quite a valuable property for our area.

There have been occasions when I am busy working and he has put papers in front of me and asked me to sign so he can get them in the post (mainly to do with correspondence to our accountant for example).

But this is not possible surely? I mean as a married couple I am entitled to half anyway aren’t I? He is playing mind games with me and I’m not sure what to believe anymore

Considering this isn't possible.... you're married. I'd say he's joking.

Google it. Doesn't matter who "owns" the matrimonial home... you're entitle to half of any assets on divorce in normal circumstances. Even if he owns 10 houses you don't know about.

God how are you rich enough to need an accountant? High school isn't that hard.

KateKateLee · 30/08/2023 18:27

eastiseastwestiswest · 29/08/2023 13:18

He sounds incredibly irritating- not much of a joke is it?

I'm not a property lawyer but I think what you would need is a deed of severance to sever the joint tenancy which would mean you hold as tenants in common. Then someone needs to register the deed with the land registry. If he's done that then it's possible but it would be grounds for taking him to court of fraud as well as an obvious immediate reason to divorce him.

It’s not fraud if she has willing signed but not read what she is signing.

My friend’s husband remortgaged the house in similar circumstances, it was legally binding as she’d signed. He did a runner with the money and she lost her home.

evian76 · 30/08/2023 18:32

Check the deeds. Call solicitor. File for divorce and claim half whatever. Oh, and leave, of course.

Nanny0gg · 30/08/2023 18:33

Nevertouchakoala · 30/08/2023 09:32

Check land registry

Seriously?

Isinglass20 · 30/08/2023 18:55

You can put a restriction on the Title so that it can’t be sold without your written consent if you are registered as tenants in common

Tereseta · 30/08/2023 19:05

Isinglass20 · 30/08/2023 18:55

You can put a restriction on the Title so that it can’t be sold without your written consent if you are registered as tenants in common

Be careful doing this as it would mean his share could be left to anyone else in case of death instead of the.property vesting in you. Set up a property alert with HM Land Registry anyway as this is the best way to prevent any fraud.

AlexReventa · 30/08/2023 19:13

He sounds like a real peach 🙄

Blondeshavemorefun · 30/08/2023 19:31

Glad that he hasn't actually done this

Def a weird sense of humour

NEVER sign anything before reading it