Found out I’m not on a house deeds..

[KindOpalBear]

When we bought the house, our twins were just 4 weeks old and I wasn’t well enough to look into paperwork. I’ve put in £70k my life savings, my partner same £70k and his mother helped us and borrowed us £500k (she basically remortgaged her house to help us). We are paying her loan and our mortgage every month and have been for the last 5 years we’ve been here. Today during an argument my husband shouted that I’m not on the deeds of the house. That shocked me. I’ve paid for title registry on gov.uk and it says the registered owner is him alone, no mention of me. He says that I’m definitely on the deeds but he would need to ask the lawyer to send him documents proving that which will cost £200. Am I being fooled? My heart sunk and I’m just In shock. I feel like him and his mum did this together. Is anyone here who knows legal stuff and can confirm it title registry shows just one person that means I’m not on the deeds?

@KindOpalBear it’s been a while since I worked in conveyancing, but “the deeds” don’t count for anything now its all online and as long as registered on the land registry you can chuck the deeds away. I kept mine because I think they’re interesting. What’s registered on the land registry counts, so if you’ve paid for a title search and you’re not there then you’re not there.

PP’s are right and if you’re married you’d be entitled, but I'm concerned because he sounds like a POS he’d try and negotiate less than half for you if his mother put in a deposit, get legal advice.

Another thing which is a MASSIVE red flag for me is him saying he’d need to pay a solicitor £200. For what exactly? I’m so sorry, I’m so angry for you.

For everyone saying you will get half or more in a divorce, that is correct however if you are not on the deeds he could take out loans/mortgages against the house without your permission which would reduce the equity meaning there might not be anything left at the point of sale to even recoup what you have put in. Also it’s irrelevant whether you pay towards the bills, you don’t need to do this as you are married.
it does however seem unusual that the mortgage company didn’t ask any questions at the time of the purchase as they usually will want to know that any deposit has come entirely from the purchaser, to protect themselves in the event of a dispute where say someone claims they have an interest in the house. Like yourself and mil. Also I know you say that you had just given birth but the house buying process is a long one, don’t you find it odd you didn’t sign anything at all, send in evidence/document/id?

This may be the case in England but if the OP happens to be in Scotland then the law is different…

Ok so who did you give your 70k share to, and there must be proof of that transaction? Though it's true if you're married it's half yours regardless.

Either way it sounds like you cannot trust him.

Try not to panic. I’m not on the deeds to our house due to my poor credit rating. It would have meant a terrible mortgage… but we’re married. It’s our martial home and I’m still entitled to any sale benefits, can register interest with the land registry etc. If you really do want to be on the deeds it’s an easy enough fix with a solution.

I would be more worried about paying the 500k back, that isn"t an easy fix.

My soon to be Ex Husband did this to me. 9 month old baby, married. Swore I was on the deeds but I'm not. I'm still entitled to half the house in the divorce, which he is not Happy about. It's a bit of a telling sign if you ask me, but that's just my experience x

" Today during an argument my husband shouted that I’m not on the deeds of the house. That shocked me. I’ve paid for title registry on gov.uk and it says the registered owner is him alone, no mention of me. He says that I’m definitely on the deeds"

So which is it?

Land registry says you are not. So you are not.

There might be some question of ownership if you bought the house before you got married. If so when he is being more reasonable (as he seems to be backtracking now saying you are in the deeds), you need to get a deed of trust drawn up and get him to sign it. This says what you are entitled to if you split up. I imagine being married with children should negate needing anything like this, but I'd definitely seek legal advice regardless. Good luck.

This feels more like an "am I crazy to be bothered by this, because the man I love is telling me I am over reacting and I am afraid of upsetting him" question.

Yes you should be bothered, yes your husband's behaviour is concerning regarding this, yes you should seek legal advice (without telling him) and finding out how you fix it.

Also get all of your bank statements together proving the transfer and your contribution to the payments.

This could be a silly mistake but if it isn't, you have GOT to cover yourself. This is not your future, it is your children's and believe me if this goes the wrong way, you have got to protect them.

Try and see his solicitors. Good luck with the Monday morning phone calls!

Go to a solicitor and get your ownership registered. Presumably you have evidence of your contribution

No it doesn’t. He could take out a mortgage for the house value and at no time would his wife be included. If she divorced him she might get half or more as part of the financial order.

If you’re not listed on land registry you’re not technically part owner, do you have bank statements from the time showing you transferred 70k or the solicitor dealing with its details to confirm?

I would go talk to a lawyer! This is not something he can cone back from. Is his mum a part owner too? Get all the financial info you can get your hands on and bring it to a lawyer.

Your husband isn’t very smart is he? They’ll be a paper trail of funding, you’re MARRIED and have children with him plus there’s the common law marriage law

Also are you named on the mortgage?

I’m so sorry OP. This would be marriage ending for me. And I would be wondering if he conspired with his mother to do this. They tried to steal from you and he is continuing to lie. You should never trust him ever again. Thank goodness you are married because when - and it should be when, not if - you divorce him the starting point will be 50/50 of the marital assets. Go and see a solicitor ASAP.

Check the T&C on the mortgage. Does it state both mortgage payers must be named on the deed?

as long as you can prove deposit, share of mortgage then you are entitled to beneficial interest

I would be more concerned that if he defaults on this mortgage YOU are still legally liable for it. You’re basically a guarantor for him!

100% Not only has he lied to you, he’s put you at extremely financial risk and possibly fraud depending on mortgage type and T&C.

Not only that but his own children!!

I am currently unwell and pregnant yet I can still remember that you have to sign stuff when you buy a house.

You don’t ask him, you tell him!

you also tell him to provide you with mortgage documents, proof of transfer of funds, proof of your share of mortgage then get all your ducks in a row and leave this man!!

if you have daughters it’s the exact thing you’d want them to do if a man did this to them!

You will have no entitlement to the house if it was his before you got married and moved in. Only houses bought after marriage are classed as matrimonial assets.

That's not by any means automatic. A lot depends on the length of the marriage, and the longer the marriage the more chance there is that a house owned by one party before the marriage will become `matrimonialised', and be viewed by the court as part of the pot to be divided. This would be much more the case if the house was the parties' main residence.

Wrong. Under beneficial interest she doesn’t even need to be married with him at all

I’d check what this agreement is with his mum on paying back the £500k. Is there a legal contract?