My mum wants to make a will leaving her assets to her two children, rather than her husband, who is our father. She is not sure whether she has any assets at the moment as their property is all in his name.
He brought two adjacent properties to the marriage, one of which has been the family home, and the other rented out and the money forming a big part of the family income. My mum didn't bring any financial assets to the marriage and was a stay at home mum. They have been married for several decades. The two houses were partly paid for by a loan in my father's name which was paid back during their marriage, but he paid for the majority of the properties with money he had accrued before their marriage.
As things are now, with everything in our father's name, does she have anything that she can give away in her will?
She is worried that if she dies first he may leave everything to someone else, e.g. a new partner, and disinherit their children. She is planning to ask him to make her a tenant in common of both properties, but is worried about what to do if he refuses this, as he is likely to want to retain all his assets in the event of her death- does she have any other options?