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Original poster

Found out I’m not on a house deeds..

324 replies

KindOpalBear · 27/02/2026 20:04

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?

OP posts:
Thatescalatedquickly2 · 27/02/2026 23:57

Mosman2020 · 27/02/2026 23:24

Well, as I say unfortunately, I have firsthand experience that what you say is wrong.
To the degree that I was told I should hand my son over to its father if I was unable to house him.

Show quote history

Were you married?

i don’t know the details of your case, but I’d be very surprised if a court or judge thought you should hand over your kids because you couldn’t house them. Especially if there were matrimonial assets. And you can always rent.

Hollyhobbi · 27/02/2026 23:59

Mosman2020 · 27/02/2026 23:02

He will just sell it or transfer it to his mother before he even gets to a courtroom

Show quote history

She said she got married in 2017. So not 5 years ago!

NovaF · 27/02/2026 23:59

When we bought our house I had just started freelancing and needed two years of accounts. I could not get a mortgage so my husband got one in his name and his name was on the deeds. Two years later I then had my name added - it cost £200.

your husband is trying to scam you out of £200 to get your name added. Only you need to likely submit a fact check and sign this and send it back. He is doing something underhand. You are protected as you are married but it is about having your name on the deeds of your own house.

a mortgage broker should be able to walk you through this for free.

you need to ask why he did not add you and for him to sort out asap how you can be added.

also, have you not remortgaged in that time?

PhaedraWas · 28/02/2026 00:15

SittingNextToIt · 27/02/2026 21:52

WTF have I just read? You thought you have bought a house as in you are the purchaser of this property whilst having signed absolutely nothing at all? You thought it actually possible to purchase a property in your name without you signing anything? How on earth can it have been a surprise That you have not purchased this property because you have literally not signed any documentation of purchase?

Show quote history

I assume the OP is in England but under Scots Law if the purchaser doesn't need a mortgage and it's all their money the purchaser doesn't sign anything. Obviously the purchaser will be instructing their solicitors but there's no documents for the purchaser to sign.

Here as it seems husband wasn't the sole source of funds the solicitors would still want OP and mother in law to declare they had made the gifts.

TheGrimSmile · 28/02/2026 00:39

Youre married. It makes no odds if you're on the deeds or not. But if your husband lied that's another matter.

KimuraTan · 28/02/2026 01:09

KindOpalBear · 27/02/2026 20:08

Are you sure, even if he (sneakily) didn’t put me as a shared owner?

Show quote history

Very sure that’s how itworks. My ex did this and when we divorced I did exactly that and everything was split 50/50.

PrettyPickle · 28/02/2026 01:23

Four things.

1.We gave our son money for the deposit on his home, we had to provide paperwork to show it was a gift to him to the solicitor and mortgage company, did Mum?
2.If your savings were used and you were not on the Deeds - why didn't you have to fill in a gift form as it wasn't coming from his bank account?
3.Did you transfer the money to his bank account and he sent it to the solicitor?

4..If you engaged the solicitor jointly, i.e it was in your name as well as his, ring the solicitor and ask them.

It worries me that you say you haven't signed anything, does that include for the mortgage as that suggests to me you aren't on anything. But if you have a mortgage, surely it should say on the mortgage statement who the account belongs to? If your name is on it, then you are on the mortgage

Message him when he is busy and trick him into putting in writing that it is in joint names and its an error on the deed?

The question then needs to be answered about how you own the house, has he put it down as the cash paid in his name and you have split the mortgage balance between you?

Are you joint tenants or tenants in common. I suspect he may have opted for tenants in common so that he protects the money his Mum put in.

So lets imagine the house was £1m (lucky you). It could work something like this:

Each partner contributed £70,000 (so £140,000 total from the couple)
The mother contributed £500,000
The remaining £360,000 is covered by a joint mortgage
Ownership is set up as tenants in common to protect unequal contributions and there will be a declaration of trust.

The contributions now look like this:

  • Partner: £70,000 (his own) + £500,000 (gift from mother) = £570,000
  • You: £70,000
  • Mortgage (joint): £360,000
Total: £1,000,000

What this means for ownership shares
If you base ownership on initial contributions:

  • Son: £570,000 → 57%
  • Partner: £70,000 → 7%
  • Mortgage: £360,000 → 36% (this equity grows as the mortgage is repaid)
If the you repay the mortgage 50/50, then over time each gains 18% of equity as the mortgage is paid down.

But this only works if it is written into a Declaration of Trust.

The Declaration of Trust is essential
It must explicitly state:

  • The mother’s £500k is a gift to the son alone
  • The son’s beneficial interest includes his £70k + the £500k gift
  • Your beneficial interest includes your £70k
  • How mortgage repayments affect shares (equal? unequal?)
  • What happens on sale
  • What happens if one partner pays more later
  • What happens if you separate

You can do this if you are married but it can be affected by family law if you divorce!

Rhubarb24 · 28/02/2026 01:40

His mother lent* you money.

If there was a mortgage involved, which you've mentioned, then you would have had to have signed something even if you were not on the deeds. Don't lenders require adults who live in the property to sign an Occupier’s Consent Form / Deed of Consent, or Deed of Postponement? Basically, you have to sign to agree that your rights to live in the property are waived if the lender has to repossess.

If he's lied to the mortgage company that he lives alone, then he's likely to have breached the terms and conditions of the mortgage if the lender finds out.

If you change anything on the LR, will the lender be alerted? Could they call in the debt?

herbalteabag · 28/02/2026 01:45

Is your name on the mortgage? Usually the names on the mortgage are on the title deeds. I'd be very worried personally and I wouldn't be able to continue in the relationship without it being sorted asap.

Rhubarb24 · 28/02/2026 02:01

PrettyPickle · 28/02/2026 01:23

Four things.

1.We gave our son money for the deposit on his home, we had to provide paperwork to show it was a gift to him to the solicitor and mortgage company, did Mum?
2.If your savings were used and you were not on the Deeds - why didn't you have to fill in a gift form as it wasn't coming from his bank account?
3.Did you transfer the money to his bank account and he sent it to the solicitor?

4..If you engaged the solicitor jointly, i.e it was in your name as well as his, ring the solicitor and ask them.

It worries me that you say you haven't signed anything, does that include for the mortgage as that suggests to me you aren't on anything. But if you have a mortgage, surely it should say on the mortgage statement who the account belongs to? If your name is on it, then you are on the mortgage

Message him when he is busy and trick him into putting in writing that it is in joint names and its an error on the deed?

The question then needs to be answered about how you own the house, has he put it down as the cash paid in his name and you have split the mortgage balance between you?

Are you joint tenants or tenants in common. I suspect he may have opted for tenants in common so that he protects the money his Mum put in.

So lets imagine the house was £1m (lucky you). It could work something like this:

Each partner contributed £70,000 (so £140,000 total from the couple)
The mother contributed £500,000
The remaining £360,000 is covered by a joint mortgage
Ownership is set up as tenants in common to protect unequal contributions and there will be a declaration of trust.

The contributions now look like this:

  • Partner: £70,000 (his own) + £500,000 (gift from mother) = £570,000
  • You: £70,000
  • Mortgage (joint): £360,000
Total: £1,000,000

What this means for ownership shares
If you base ownership on initial contributions:

  • Son: £570,000 → 57%
  • Partner: £70,000 → 7%
  • Mortgage: £360,000 → 36% (this equity grows as the mortgage is repaid)
If the you repay the mortgage 50/50, then over time each gains 18% of equity as the mortgage is paid down.

But this only works if it is written into a Declaration of Trust.

The Declaration of Trust is essential
It must explicitly state:

  • The mother’s £500k is a gift to the son alone
  • The son’s beneficial interest includes his £70k + the £500k gift
  • Your beneficial interest includes your £70k
  • How mortgage repayments affect shares (equal? unequal?)
  • What happens on sale
  • What happens if one partner pays more later
  • What happens if you separate

You can do this if you are married but it can be affected by family law if you divorce!

It sounds like it was loan from his mother that they are both paying back every month.

Hollyhobbi · 28/02/2026 02:50

PrettyPickle · 28/02/2026 01:23

Four things.

1.We gave our son money for the deposit on his home, we had to provide paperwork to show it was a gift to him to the solicitor and mortgage company, did Mum?
2.If your savings were used and you were not on the Deeds - why didn't you have to fill in a gift form as it wasn't coming from his bank account?
3.Did you transfer the money to his bank account and he sent it to the solicitor?

4..If you engaged the solicitor jointly, i.e it was in your name as well as his, ring the solicitor and ask them.

It worries me that you say you haven't signed anything, does that include for the mortgage as that suggests to me you aren't on anything. But if you have a mortgage, surely it should say on the mortgage statement who the account belongs to? If your name is on it, then you are on the mortgage

Message him when he is busy and trick him into putting in writing that it is in joint names and its an error on the deed?

The question then needs to be answered about how you own the house, has he put it down as the cash paid in his name and you have split the mortgage balance between you?

Are you joint tenants or tenants in common. I suspect he may have opted for tenants in common so that he protects the money his Mum put in.

So lets imagine the house was £1m (lucky you). It could work something like this:

Each partner contributed £70,000 (so £140,000 total from the couple)
The mother contributed £500,000
The remaining £360,000 is covered by a joint mortgage
Ownership is set up as tenants in common to protect unequal contributions and there will be a declaration of trust.

The contributions now look like this:

  • Partner: £70,000 (his own) + £500,000 (gift from mother) = £570,000
  • You: £70,000
  • Mortgage (joint): £360,000
Total: £1,000,000

What this means for ownership shares
If you base ownership on initial contributions:

  • Son: £570,000 → 57%
  • Partner: £70,000 → 7%
  • Mortgage: £360,000 → 36% (this equity grows as the mortgage is repaid)
If the you repay the mortgage 50/50, then over time each gains 18% of equity as the mortgage is paid down.

But this only works if it is written into a Declaration of Trust.

The Declaration of Trust is essential
It must explicitly state:

  • The mother’s £500k is a gift to the son alone
  • The son’s beneficial interest includes his £70k + the £500k gift
  • Your beneficial interest includes your £70k
  • How mortgage repayments affect shares (equal? unequal?)
  • What happens on sale
  • What happens if one partner pays more later
  • What happens if you separate

You can do this if you are married but it can be affected by family law if you divorce!

The house is in her husbands name. So tenants in common or joint tenants doesn’t come into it. We don’t know how much the house cost. It is possible to have two names on a mortgage but just one on the deeds but this is not common. I wonder if there was a dodgy solicitor involved?

ItstoolateformeDaveyourselves · 28/02/2026 02:50

PrettyPickle · 28/02/2026 01:23

Four things.

1.We gave our son money for the deposit on his home, we had to provide paperwork to show it was a gift to him to the solicitor and mortgage company, did Mum?
2.If your savings were used and you were not on the Deeds - why didn't you have to fill in a gift form as it wasn't coming from his bank account?
3.Did you transfer the money to his bank account and he sent it to the solicitor?

4..If you engaged the solicitor jointly, i.e it was in your name as well as his, ring the solicitor and ask them.

It worries me that you say you haven't signed anything, does that include for the mortgage as that suggests to me you aren't on anything. But if you have a mortgage, surely it should say on the mortgage statement who the account belongs to? If your name is on it, then you are on the mortgage

Message him when he is busy and trick him into putting in writing that it is in joint names and its an error on the deed?

The question then needs to be answered about how you own the house, has he put it down as the cash paid in his name and you have split the mortgage balance between you?

Are you joint tenants or tenants in common. I suspect he may have opted for tenants in common so that he protects the money his Mum put in.

So lets imagine the house was £1m (lucky you). It could work something like this:

Each partner contributed £70,000 (so £140,000 total from the couple)
The mother contributed £500,000
The remaining £360,000 is covered by a joint mortgage
Ownership is set up as tenants in common to protect unequal contributions and there will be a declaration of trust.

The contributions now look like this:

  • Partner: £70,000 (his own) + £500,000 (gift from mother) = £570,000
  • You: £70,000
  • Mortgage (joint): £360,000
Total: £1,000,000

What this means for ownership shares
If you base ownership on initial contributions:

  • Son: £570,000 → 57%
  • Partner: £70,000 → 7%
  • Mortgage: £360,000 → 36% (this equity grows as the mortgage is repaid)
If the you repay the mortgage 50/50, then over time each gains 18% of equity as the mortgage is paid down.

But this only works if it is written into a Declaration of Trust.

The Declaration of Trust is essential
It must explicitly state:

  • The mother’s £500k is a gift to the son alone
  • The son’s beneficial interest includes his £70k + the £500k gift
  • Your beneficial interest includes your £70k
  • How mortgage repayments affect shares (equal? unequal?)
  • What happens on sale
  • What happens if one partner pays more later
  • What happens if you separate

You can do this if you are married but it can be affected by family law if you divorce!

Complete miss AI. I hope that helps.

user1473878824 · 28/02/2026 03:39

This reply has been deleted

This has been deleted by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines.

Yes sorry that’s not how the land registry works. You’re not on the deeds in any way shape or form.

what’s great though is that you’re married so you can divorce him and get half the house which for this level of fuckery you should.

TheChickenOrTheMiniEgg · 28/02/2026 03:54

Holidayshopping · 27/02/2026 21:20

Why didn’t you just get a smaller mortgage yourselves? Did you need to buy a £640k property?

You’re super helpful with your judgment and your time
machine 😊

FairKoala · 28/02/2026 04:38

I think that maybe they do things differently in Spain and him and his mother think they have got one over on you.

If you married in the UK then UK law is it doesn’t matter who is on the deeds, you are married you use the house as a marital home so when it comes to divorce the starting point on financials is 50/ 50 of all assets which includes pensions, investments and savings accounts and other property as well as businesses, cars and furniture etc

If you have children, length of marriage

Did you personally ever sign any loan agreement with mil when her money was loaned as part of the down payment on the house because if you didn’t and they didn’t declare this extra loan as part of the mortgage application then the loan would be not part of the house but a separate agreement between dh and his mother and would be his responsibility to repay out if his share of the divorce settlement

This all sounds like 2 people trying to outwit a 3rd but not having the brain power to look up mortgage fraud and divorce law in the UK

FairKoala · 28/02/2026 04:47

Mosman2020 · 27/02/2026 23:02

He will just sell it or transfer it to his mother before he even gets to a courtroom

Show quote history

It doesn’t matter who is or isn’t on the deeds If you live in the house and are not on the deeds the buyers solicitor has to have an undertaking from the adults living in the property they will be moving out when the house is sold and if he tries to pretend to be her and sends an email she can say she isn’t moving on the day. But given there will be viewers and estate agents and surveyors etc
She will have plenty of time to tell them she isn’t moving

Also hiding assets is an offence.

silentpool · 28/02/2026 04:47

Is there a mortgage at all? You put in 70k, he put in 70k and his mother re-mortgaged for 500k? How much was your house purchase for? That's 640k. Who exactly are you paying each month - his mother or a bank?

Rosetime · 28/02/2026 04:51

Maybe someone has raised this already - separate from other scenarios like - divorce, mental health issues, severe illness etc, What if he were to die before you? What if he has a will and he is willing the house to his DM because of the extent of her contribution?

Get your name on the deeds of the house. Being married to him is not enough guarantee. Currently, seeing something similar happening with a close friend of mine.

Bigpakchoi · 28/02/2026 05:16

KindOpalBear · 27/02/2026 20:14

We’ve been married since 2017. That’s what I’m planning on doing, I’m going to ask him to put me on as equal owner. If he doesn’t, then I can’t see myself staying with him although we have 5 year old twins. My heart just broke.

Show quote history

@KindOpalBear please register your interest on the house first and speak to a lawyer - only then - show your hand and talk to DH.
As currently the house is not your name he can sell it to Mum (temporarily) or put it into a trust for the children to inherit on his passing and so you may not be able to get 50% as a matrial asset (Plese note - I am NOT a lawyer) just trying to say he please cover yourself first (ducks in a row) and speak to a lawyer before you speak to him.
Good luck

FloofBunny · 28/02/2026 05:49

catpupjoy · 27/02/2026 22:27

My husband played that same trick … we moved when we had 3 small daughters, and he registered the house in his name only. I discovered his trickery when we separated last year - he thought he’d get the total value of the house, and I’d be penniless. What a knob, eh? Luckily my solicitor discovered this, and had my name added to the deeds. (Horrible husband went into a screaming rage when he discovered this - he just couldn’t believe i could possibly have an equal share in the marital home…what bastard trickery!) But when we went to court the judge decided instantly that the house belonged to us both equally. So get legal advice…asap

I will never, ever understand how cruel and selfish so many men can be. YOU BORE HIM THREE CHILDREN, FOR FUCK'S SAKE! I'm so glad you had a great lawyer.

ETA: Absolutely loving the imagery of your husband going into a screaming rage when his selfishness was thwarted! 🤣 Brilliant!

metalbottle · 28/02/2026 06:37

KindOpalBear · 27/02/2026 20:27

He’s directed all emails to himself. I haven’t seen any correspondence.

Show quote history

Oh dear. Big girl pants on now, make sure you understand and have access to all the family money, that you are added to the deeds now and never be this naive again.

Franjipanl8r · 28/02/2026 07:02

Are you on the mortgage? Or was your contribution just the £70k?

I’m not on the deeds or the mortgage for my family home, it’s all in DH’s name and we’re married.

Franjipanl8r · 28/02/2026 07:06

Not being on the deeds is linked to not paying the mortgage and not having to disclose my bank balance which took an absolute hammering whilst raising young kids (in my case). Is it something to do with that?

somuchbedding · 28/02/2026 07:07

This is all very confusing.

Why did his mother loan you 500k? And you are paying a mortgage and paying back the loan monthly, do you both pay?

Your DHs actions seem very suspicious.

Clarabell77 · 28/02/2026 07:08

OompaLoofah · 27/02/2026 20:35

It’s not ok though. OP has no control over what he does with the house currently. He could easily sell it tomorrow and she wouldn’t be able to stop it.

she needs to get legal advice asap and look at seeing if she can get a legal charge over the property for at least the £70k deposit she put down if he’s refusing to add her to the title deeds.

OP are you on the mortgage? As if you are, currently you’re on the hook for debt for a house you have no control over.

Show quote history

There is no mortgage, his mum remortgaged to pay it and they’re paying her back.