Verbal Agreement

[louadams6]

6 years ago i bought my parents house with the right to buy, they agreed that when they died that the house would be willed to me. However even though i paid all conveyancing and substantial rent arrears, and paid for decoration and routine maintenance, they have now told me that they are going to split the house 3 ways with people of their choice. Does anybody know if i can recoup my losses?  

[mystress]

I am sorry(maybe I am dense) but you say you bought your parents house 6 years ago,does that mean YOU own it,or do THEY?(Or did you buy it and deed it to them?)From your post I get the feeling that they do, and you were hoping to inherit when they died?

If you have spent money (conveyancing,rent arrears, decoration & maintenance) the only way to recoup these losses would be to sue them,either in the Small Claims Court,or if the money is more another Court.

Are you one of the 3 people they are wishing to split the house with,and just when do they intend to split the house?(when they both die?)or in the near future?

If you could explain a few more facts,I might be able to help you further.

[stevie21]

Is it worth ruining your relationship over money?
As expensive as this would be I'd be tempted to put this down to experience if you haven't enshrined your claim/rights in a written contract in advance.

*If*, legally, you have no leg to stand on I'd give in and remain on speaking terms or appeal to their good sense but don't fall out whatever happens.

[louadams6]

mistress/yes I left my parents name on the deeds to give them peace of mind,I took out a 25 year mortgage in my daughters name,so,my daughter controls a third of the property,I of course have told my daughter that it will be all hers,the mortgage is in my daughters sole name.My promise was that they could live there until they died,now they want control,yet I am still expected to maintain/service property,this is ruining our family bon homie.please ask any questions you think may help;my life as been spent running trucks,so I usually take a sledge hammer approach,do you know where I could get a toffee hammer,thanks for your input.

[louadams6]

Steve21,am trying to understand if I can present a good case of verbal contract which I could affect at the death of each parent,sort of contest the will if not in my favour proving easily the deal that was made,or maybe I have to move now,this is tricky for me as I do not want to alienate them ,I spent good money to give them rent free peace of mind.

[nfn]

Why do your parents want to split the house? Did they understand that you were expecting to inherit it? Did you perhaps think you would perhaps become No1 on their will list? I do not in any way wish to offend you, or them, but this seems a bit odd to me.
Whatever you do, do not default on payments. Your daughter, not you or your parents, will suffer if you do.
Did you give them the money to buy the house in their names or did you transfer it later?
Does your daughter have a good relationship with her grandparents? Could she explain that she is concerned that she may become a pawn in an altogether avoidable situation?
My best wishes

[mystress]

Sorry,but I think I am more confused now!

When you bought the house,did you just pay the deposit or the full amount?

If it was the full amount,why does your Daughter have the Mortgage on it?(and not you)

Why did you not just keep the deeds in your(or Daughter's) name?

You do seem to have got yourself into an awkward situation(mostly through good intentions).

I am NO Lawyer,but I feel if your parents names are on the Deeds,then legally the property is theirs to do with as they wish.

How long does the Mortgage have to run, and how old are your parents?

It seems to me that given the worst scenario,your Daughter could end up eventually paying the mortgage on a property that was being(possibly) lived in by one of the 3 people that you mentioned.(Who are they by the way?)

As nfn wisely says,please do not let your Daughter default on the mortgage.This would result in her lender reposessing the house,which would mean Daughter still has debt,parents have no home,and you have no property to look forward to.When you entered into this situation were you doing this on Professional advice?
I am sorry if this looks a bit negative,I feel there ARE ways around it,but you may have to bite the bullet and be a bit forceful with your parents.

PS.Threaten them with a toffee hammer! LOL

[louadams6]

Perhaps recoup my losses was misleading,I wasendevouring to understand if a legal verbal contract was made that will stand up in court,As pointed out I do not wish to upset anyone and am seeking to overturn whatever adverse decisions they make,I am quite happy letting my parents [80;s]live in bliss,sentlity aside .At a time of great financial difficulty for them I stepped in with a working solution that achieved great credit rating for my 20 yearold daughter and also alleviated my parents debts,they had promised to will the house solely to my daughter ,and with this in mind I threw myself and my time money into the fray,to say I hurt would be churlish and also understated ,any one who does anything like this should be urged to get the other peoples side of the bargain set in stone before losing any money or indeed goodwill with close family,Thanks LOL