Adding myself to the Deeds

[Theaspidistraiswilting]

Hello all, I am not on the house deeds, DH claims it is not necessary to change this but our relationship is breaking down and I would like to do so.

I have contributed to maintenance and bills and mortgage for 10 years.

Can I do this myself or do I need a solicitor? I have very little money.

You can't do this without your husband's agreement. You also need the agreement of the mortgage lender. They may want the mortgage changed into joint names at the same time.

If you are concerned about what happens if you divorce, it won't make any difference whether the house is in joint names or your husband's sole name. It will still go into the pot to be divided between you. However, assuming you are in England or Wales you may want to use a home rights notice to protect your position. This simply involves filling in a form and sending it to the Land Registry. There is no fee if the property is registered. If it is not registered there is a £1 fee. You do not need a solicitor for this, nor do you need anyone's consent.

As above, it's not something you can instigate.
If you are splitting up, be prepared to show what you have contributed to the household, and it will get sorted through the courts when divine assets.
If you want to over your bases, start with contacting a solicitor to get some basic info on what to expect

Divide, not divine!

Thank you - divine assets would be very useful!!

And just to add as I was in a similar situation where I wasn't on the deeds but had paid my husbands mortgage for 5 years while he was unemployed.

I registered my interest in the property as per the previous poster once the marriage failed and we separated. What this meant was my husband couldn't sell the property until I agreed to lift my claim.

I only agreed to lift my claim once my financial resolution was agreed by the courts that stated how the equity would be shared once the property was sold.

In reality what happened was my husband moved to sell the flat once I left, he found a buyer and agreed a price, we sent our financial paperwork to the court. We got back our court approved paperwork one week before he was due to exchange on the sale. If their had of been a delay in the court signing of our financial arrangements the sale could have still proceeded but the cash proceeds would sit with the solicitors until the paperwork was received back.

So - you have to hope while you are still together he won't sell the property behind your back but be ready to log the land registry form should you separate to register your claim