What will/can happen?

[richiarata]

Hi

My sister and her husband have three young kids. Over the last few months he has stopped talking to her, stopped giving her any money for the kids so she has nothing apart from the tax credits they've been getting because he underreports his income (which have now stopped), and started sleeping on the sofa. They have now been to mediation and it transpires that a year ago he sold the family home (inherited from his grandmother) to his brother, who now intends to evict my sister. My brother-in-law intends to keep living in the family home, with his brother as 'landlord', and have the kids 50% of the time. She is trying to get legal support to divorce him but it's in very early stages. Can anyone offer any reliable advice about what she can expect the law to do for her?

Thanks in advance

Rich

Was the house originally in joint names or just BIL?

How long have they been married?
Any idea what he did with the profit and whether the property was sold at about market value? Or given it was an inherited property was it shared by multiple family members all along?
Something seems wrong with the whole scenario so I think that she needs to get a solicitor on it asap.

Hi

Thanks for the reply. The house was just in his name, but they've been together for nearly twenty years, married for 13, oldest child 16. Throughout their marriage he's been the breadwinner and she's brought up the kids. He claims he sold it because he was going to get sued (he's an electrician) but didn't tell his wife because he didn't want to worry her. She's seeing a solicitor this morning and we're hoping she'll get legal aid as atm she has no income whatsoever apart from a tiny amount of savings.

Speak to a solicitor but I think one of the first things they have to do is apply to establish home rights(though the link talks about if the house is owned by the partner so this is where advice is critical ASAP)

www.gov.uk/stay-in-home-during-separation-or-divorce/apply-if-the-property-is-registered