Can I compel my husband legally to put my name on an investment property?

[TomEdison]

My husband got an inheritance and is putting all of it into buying a modest investment property.
I want my name to be included on that property as husband doesn't work and I pay entirety of our hefty mortgage and every single other family expense, hence I have no savings whatsoever.

He refuses to put my name on it. Is there any way I can compel him legally to do so?

Legally, you don't have any right to compel your husband to spend his inheritance on an asset of which you will own a half-share. It's his inheritance, not yours.
[Aside:

Aren't you entitled to 50% of it regardless by dint of being married to this "man"

Answer: no.]

It comes down to whether you can get him to agree that that is the way he should use his inheritance. And it seems to me that you're in a relatively strong position to try to bargain for his agreement.

Others in the thread have pointed out that, from a financial good sense point of view, using the inheritance to reduce the mortgage is the optimal way of investing it. I suggest that, if he can't be brought to see that that is financially sensible, you could add that, now that he has a large sum of money available to him, you see no reason why you should continue to bear the sole burden of paying the mortgage on the family home (which, I assume, is in joint names).

 

[Blackrock1]

I know in my relationship there's no "my money" and "your money", there's just "our money" and for clarity I earn around 4 times as much as my partner.

life is so much more straightforward when couples work this way.

 

[misemoi]

life is so much more straightforward when couples work this way.

I have no idea how a couple could otherwise operate! Must be an absolute nightmare.

 

[Salvadore]

Honey if it were me I'd be looking at a good divorce lawyer, this chap is a waste of

A) skin

B) your time

You can do better believe me.

You go girl!!

Does anyone else remember Dr Mary from an episode of Frasier?

 

[jim]

@Persia You should have included:

'You gota kick his no good, sorry ass, to the kerrrrrb gurl, he aint nuthin but a waste.of.space'

That'd have been good

 

[Sarah Ryan]

@misemoi I keep my finances relatively separate to my husbands, we have a joint account that the bills and mortgage come from, we make a deposit of the same amount each month.

The rest of our wages stay in our own bank accounts. He has 3 children from his previous marriage that he maintains, we have none together and I have none either myself. We are taxed as separate people so I do not impact on a tax credit he receives for one of them.

I do think though if you have kids together you 100% need to work with an 'US' mentality and have all the finances together for sure.

 

[jim]

Legally, you don't have any right to compel your husband to spend his inheritance on an asset of which you will own a half-share. It's his inheritance, not yours

Are you sure about that? I.e if 1 spouse gets inheretence its theirs alone, and other spose has no claim on it.

I thought, if married, it belonged to both of them as a marital asset regardless of who inhereted?

Similarly, if 1 spouse gets a bonus at work does other spouse have no claim on it - woukdnt be a marital asset?

 

[mf1]

'if 1 spouse gets inheretence its theirs alone, and other spose has no claim on it.'

Above correct.

'I thought, if married, it belonged to both of them as a marital asset regardless of who inhereted?'

Above -only in front of a Judge will assets of either be spouse be considered and appropriated as a Judge sees fit.

'Similarly, if 1 spouse gets a bonus at work does other spouse have no claim on it - woukdnt be a marital asset?'

See above.

mf

 

[24601]

Similarly, if 1 spouse gets a bonus at work does other spouse have no claim on it - woukdnt be a marital asset?

I have never heard of a work bonus being considered anything other than the property of the person who gets the bonus.

 

[ClubMan]

This misconception that assets of individual spouses are by default jointly owned and automatically up for grabs 50:50 in certain situations (e.g. separation/divorce) seems very widespread and very persistent.

 

[DannyBoyD]

misconception that assets of individual spouses are by default jointly owned and automatically up for grabs

As is the notion that you can stash away assets and not have them included.

In any event - OP & their partner need to decide either on marriage counselling or divorce court.

 

[ClubMan]

As is the notion that you can stash away assets and not have them included.

But that isn't an issue that has arisen in this thread. And if/when it comes to separation/divorce proceedings it's a very serious matter to omit any assets from one's affidavit of means. Keeping assets to oneself within a marriage isn't the same thing and isn't against the law even if many might baulk at the idea.