Husband wants name added on house

[Yanique2580]

Hi everyone
I moved into my house, which i bought with my own money with savings and the sale of my flat. My husband was struggling financially at the time so coudnt contribute anything towards the house we now live in. The house is in my name. However, the house needed renovating and my husband put in 2 new bathrooms and a kitchen , and has done most of the renovations. We went out for dinner the other night and he asked if I could add his name to the house. I told him I would think about it. Im grateful for the work he has done but I saved my own money and used the sale of my flat to afford a mortgage for the house. Also he recently added me to his insurance, as it meant I could use his car , as he used to have anxiety about driving. He had 3 years of struggling with jobs and turning down job offers because he didn't want to sit in traffic or 1drive to far, but I stood by him. He asked me the other day if I could give him money for my car insurance as it comes out of his account because its joint in his name. I asked him why he coudnt help me with 75 pounds a month and he said do you want to change to having your own insurance.🙄 To be honest I really don't want to add his name to the mortgage.

As your married, it's half his anyway.

Was this house yours before you met?

He will be able to make a claim on the house if you divorce if he's paid for extensive renovations. It's also a marital asset and the longer you are married, the more he'll be entitled to. You don't have to add his name to the mortgage, but that doesn't stop him being able to claim.

The longer you're married the more claim he'll have on the house, as I understand it. How long have you been married? Do you think it's heading towards divorce? Doesn't sound like much of a partnership tbh.

if you are married you should see yourself as a financial unit. Theres no yours and mine only ours

Did he actually pay for the renovations or just do the physical work?

No , I owned a flat before I met him and used the money from the sale plus savings to buy the house we are in now.

No , I bought it this year on my own because he didn't have enough money to contribute.

you need proper legal advice.

If you are married it doesn't really matter whose name is on the title deeds. He will likely be entitled to a share of "your" house if you were to divorce - especially if he's spent time and/ or money renovating it.

Well if the tables were turned you’d want adding …

Yes, your right. I do.

it doesn’t matter. My SIL isn’t on the mortgage as she owns property overseas which would have meant higher stamp duty. My brother put in a 50% deposit from sale of previous home with ex wife but his wife is still entitled to a share of it if they divorced. Your attitude is odd given you’re married.

I don’t get it- you’re married. If you were a sahm would you want your dh saying but she didn’t contribute? Not only was he there, he helped make the place what it is! Do you not think the marriage will last? ( honest question) Either way surely legally it’s half his anyway?

I paid for most of the material and he did the work.

How long have you been married?

I think you should move to joint ownership for several reasons:

You’re married so he has some legal entitlement anyway
He contributed with the renovation work
It simplifies things if you die or are incapacitated
It feels gate-keepy and slightly financially and emotionally abusive to exclude him from a stake in your shared home

The car insurance is a separate issue and I think you’re right to dig your heels in on that one.

4 years

I assume you don't think the marriage will work in which case protect it.

This is so weird to me. You’re married firstly and you both live in the house. The house could have been in both your names regardless of who was paying the mortgage. On top of that he has in fact contributed to the house by renovating it and presumably the work has increased the value of the property. Who pays the bills in the house ?

I think your attitude is pretty unreasonable really unless there’s a drip feed. On the face of it you’ve allowed your husband to put work and money into your home but you want him to remain financially insecure. Have you looked into becoming tenants in common in which case you could specify the amount each of you owns of the property, which would protect your original investment but also acknowledge the work your husband has put in.

Obviously legally if you got divorced this may not be definitive but it would show that you have acknowledged his share. I’d hate it if my husband completely disregarded my contribution, financially or in kind.

We go half's on bills

If he’s paying bills, living their full time and has contributed to the renovations, as well as being your husband, this will most definitely be a martial asset. It won’t matter whether his name is on it or not.

Doesn’t matter if he’s not named, you’re married.

I was never on our mortgage/deeds and I bought a property in my name only, I legally had to pay stamp duty as a second home owner as I was married to a man that owns our house.

As others have said, OP, you're married, you bought the house while married, and he lives there and contributes to the upkeep and renovation of the property. It might be in your name, but if you are based in the UK and divorce he will be entitled to make a claim on it and if it is the sole family home, he could easily try for 50%.
You could try offering him a post-nup agreement with a % settlement, but that would be a very difficult conversation to have I imagine unless you have practical reasons for it that you can set out for him.
Good luck OP