Help - Legal Matter

[NinjaJnr666]

Hi, I bought a house with ex wife in 2016 (her name only on mortgage) but I contributed a 12k deposit. We married in 2018 and split in 2020 and I moved out in 2021 with nothing apart from my clothes.
We were on good terms for around 18 months and she agreed to give me back my deposit (never heard from her again after asking for the money when I needed it).
I received a letter from her solicitor in December 2025 asking me to agree to a clean break order and walk away "as we agreed"
I honestly didn't think I had much of a claim before I got the letter and this made me curious to why she would need this, after looking into this it seems like it is classed as a marital asset and I am entitled to a split I want to contest this obviously however what sort of legal costs are involved in this? I have already got a consultation with a solicitor lined up which is costing £240 and I am worried about legal fees stretching into tens of thousands when the equity split might not even make it worth it?

So has she paid your deposit back? Your letter is not clear.

No she stopped responding to me then nothing for 3 years then the sneaky letter from solicitor

For such a short marriage I doubt you will get much, you take away what you put in.

also a clean break is recommended for everyone now. It’s not she’s trying to pull a fast one, it is so you can both move on,

have some dignity.

She agreed to give me back my deposit and then ghosted me, what are you talking about dignity?

I bet the answer would be different if I was the woman and her the man?

You clearly want more than your 12k no? Keep your dignity and don’t try to gouge more for a 2 year marriage,

How much deposit did she contribute?

You need to engage a solicitor and gwt your deposit back. Possibly some ewuity, but very little % presumably.
Nothing dignified about walking away from 12k.
Did you secure your deposit portion with proper paperwork will probably be the first thing the solicitor will ask.

What's happening with the house, is she staying or selling up. Why isn't your name on the mortgage and deeds, did she contribute to the deposit. Were you not able to take any belongings when you left.

Yes, I’d be surprised if the deposit was 12k in total.

and @MsMcCoo no one is suggesting he walks away from his deposit. What’s grubby is going after more.

How much did you contribute financially towards the mortgage and bills do you think.

You own half of the property and who pays for it is neither here nor there

unless there has been test cases at court showing otherwise

How is it grabby to want fair proportion of asset you invested into and your money back? As long as he paid towards mortgage it's only fair. I would absolutely want portion from what I paid towards. So would most here from what I read on other threads about equity after split....

Because if he or she only put 12k into it, and wasn’t on the deeds, and only had a two year marriage I very much doubt he or she contributed equally at any stage. So he or she is trying to profit from his or her’s ex’s investment,

nope I will take my deposit back happy with that, her lying to solicitors saying we agreed to go our separate ways is low.
2 years? Marriage time hasn't got anything to do with it we bought the house 11 years ago & we divorced four years ago so that is 7 years cohabiting / in a relationship the clock doesn't start from the marriage date for a start.

But the other party has had their money, (even if only 12k) for 3? years, and that money allowed the other party to stay in their house while OP (I assume) rented somewhere?

OP should be entitled to a small % of the increase in value on an asset they have not been able to remove their money from - because the ex stopped responding to them.

You said you bought the house in 2016, moved out 2021 which is 5 years living together, did you contribute towards the mortgage, any renovation. and bills

So what do you want? Do you want just your deposit? Or deposit plus 50% of house value minus mortgage? Or something else?

work out what you think is fair. See what she is offering. Negotiate calmly and remember that the goal is a full financial split without spending all your money on lawyers.

Only the two year marriage counts in divorce.

When it comes to short marriage, courts can and do often take into account the cohabitation period before. So no. It doesn't have to be just about 2 years.

Op needs a solicitor

You definitely need your deposit back plus any uplift in the time you were in the house.

Or even more if you continued paying your share of the mortgage ?

I hope she’s not trying to screw you out of your 12k 🤔

Friend went to court 10 year marriage. She put £100k plus in for house deposit, paid all mortgage (even last two years whilst he's been in house). 50/50 split ordered by judge.

What I dont understand especially with a house involved is why there was no financial settlement at the time of the divorce?

10 years is considered a long marriage, 2 years is not

The starting point in divorce is 50/50, regardless of the length of marriage. It’s then the various factors, which can include length of the relationship, which then dictate any deviation from that. This isn’t an asset she owned before she met you, it’s one you purchased together whilst in a relationship and which you contributed to both with deposit and presumably with mortgage payments and upkeep whilst you lived together. That doesn’t mean you would automatically get 50%: it will be based on each of your needs; if there are any children, who their main carer is; and the potential for add backs in her favour to reflect that she’s been solely paying the mortgage since you separated.

I’d wait for your appointment with the solicitor for their advice. Depending on what that is, what they quote for different scenarios to reaching settlement, and what your appetite is to pursue this to court if necessary, I would respond that you’re seeking as a starting point the return of your £12K plus a percentage of the growth in the property’s increase in value since purchase which reflects that you purchased it together and contributed and that your ex has had the benefit of your £12K for all these years leaving you unable to invest it elsewhere yourself or buy another property.

This is not a 2 year marriage. Time spent cohabiting immediately prior to marriage generally counts, so this is at least a 4 year marriage, possibly more.