What Happens If my Spouse Is Not on the Deed?

Estate Planning / Deed, Estate Planning Attorney, Gift, Homestead Laws, Post-Nuptial Agreement, St. Petersburg Estate Planning Attorney

When one spouse has paid for or inherited the family home and the other spouse has not contributed to its purchase or upkeep, the spouse who purchased the home has to take proactive steps. Otherwise, the other spouse will inherit the home and have the right to live in it, lease it, visit once a year or do whatever he or she wishes to.

It’s their home, says a recent article from the Houston Chronicle titled “Navigating inheritance when husband is not on the deed,” and remains so, until they die or abandon the property.

In this case, the woman is the buyer of the home and she wants her son to have the house. The son will eventually own the home, but as long as the husband is alive, the son can’t take possession of the home or use it, unless given permission to do so by the husband.

The husband may remarry, and if so, he and his new wife may live in the home. If she dies before he does, according to Texas’ homesteading laws, the homestead rights don’t transfer to her. At that point, the son would inherit the home and the new wife would have to move out.

The husband doesn’t get to live in the house for free. He is responsible for paying property taxes and maintaining the house. If there is a mortgage, he must pay the interest on the mortgage, but the woman’s son would have to make principal payments. The son would also have to pay for the homeowner’s insurance.

However, there are options:

Move to another state, where the laws are more in the woman’s favor.
Sell the home.
Ask the husband to sign a post-nuptial agreement, where he waives his homestead right.
Get divorced.
Gift or sell the home to the son now and rent from him.

The last option is risky. If the son owns the home, there is no protection from the son’s creditor’s claims, if any, and the woman would lose her property tax homestead exemptions. If the son needs to declare bankruptcy or sell the home, or dies before his mother, there would be nothing she could do. If the son married, his wife would be an owner of the home. He (or she) could even force his mother out of the home.

Speak with an estate planning lawyer to see if gifting the house to your son is a good idea for your situation.

Reference: Houston Chronicle (Nov. 13, 2019) “Navigating inheritance when husband is not on the deed”

Having a Will Is Not The Same As Having An Estate Plan

Estate Planning, Wills / Beneficiary Designations, Deed, Estate Planning Attorney, Joint Ownership, Last Will and Testament, Revocable Trust, St. Petersburg Estate Planning Attorney, Title

A last will and testament is an important part of an estate plan, and every adult should have one. But, there is only so much that a will can do, according to the article “Estate planning involves more than a will” from The News-Enterprise.

First, let’s look at what a will does. During your lifetime, you have the right to transfer property. If you have a Power of Attorney it gives someone you name the authority to transfer your property or manage your affairs, while you are alive. In most states, this document expires upon your death.

When you die, a will is one piece of your estate plan that is used to transfer your property, according to your wishes. If you do not have a will, the court must determine who receives the property, as determined by your state’s law. However, only certain property passes through a will.

Individually owned property that does not have a beneficiary designation must be transferred though the process of probate. This includes real property, like house or a land, if there is no right of survivorship provision within the deed. The deed to the property determines the type of ownership each person has.

Couples who purchase property after they are married, usually own the property with the right of survivorship. This means that the surviving owner continues to own the property without it going through probate.

However, when deeds do not have this provision, each owner owns only a portion of the property. When one owner dies, the remaining owner’s portion must be passed through probate to the beneficiaries of the decedent.

Assets that have a designated beneficiary do not pass through probate, but are paid directly to the beneficiary. These are usually life insurance policies, retirement accounts, investment and/or bank accounts. Your will does not control these assets.

Beneficiaries through the will only receive whatever property is left over, after all reasonable expenses and debts are paid.

If you wish to ensure that beneficiaries receive assets over time through your estate plan, that can be done through a trust. The trust can be the beneficiary of a payable-on-death account. A revocable trust avoids property going through the probate process and can be established with your directions for distribution.

A will is a good start to an estate plan, but it is not the whole plan. Speak with an estate planning attorney about your situation and they will be able to create a plan that addresses distribution of your assets, as well as protect you from incapacity.

Reference: The News-Enterprise (September 30, 2019) “Estate planning involves more than a will”

How Does a Life Estate Deed Work?

Asset Protection, Estate Planning, Retained Life Estate / Agent, Deed, Heir, Holder, Interest Holder, Life Estate Trust, Life Interest, Remainder, St. Petersburg

What should this person do next? What is allowed and what is not? This complex question is addressed in My San Antonio’s article, “Life estate deed by agent must preserve estate plan.” First, let’s clarify what a life estate deed is, and why it was used in this person’s estate plan.

A life estate deed is a real estate ownership arrangement, by which the owner gifts or sells to someone, in this case to the beneficiary child, a “remainder interest” in a piece of real estate property. The owner of the property holds a “life estate” in the real estate, which includes the right to live in the property, use it and even profit from it, as long as the life estate holder is alive. The remainder interest holder, the heir, can’t interfere with the life estate holder’s use of the property, while they are living.

The remainder interest holder does have an ownership interest in the property, which is granted in the life estate deed. The IRS publishes a table so that the value of the remainder interest can be calculated. Here’s why that matters:

If the remainder is gifted, then the IRS table determines the gift tax amount.
If the property is sold while the life holder is alive, the proceeds are split with the remainder holder, with the value determined from the IRS tables.
If the life estate holder needs to apply for Medicaid, the gift value of the remainder will cause a disqualification.

If the life estate holder decides to sell the property, permission from the remainder holder is required. The life estate holder may not have to pay taxes, but the remainder interest holder is likely to owe capital gain taxes, if the property is sold.

There is a special type of estate deed which changes the description above, which is available in Florida and a few other states. Known as an enhanced life estate deed, or a “lady bird deed,” the owner is given the right to cancel the deed at any time. Since there is no value transferred to the remainder holder, there is no gift tax, no disqualification from Medicaid and the life estate holder can sell without needing to obtain permission from the remainder holder.

In the example above, the father did not sell his life estate interest, but retained it until the date of his death. The first challenge is proving ownership of the property. The original life estate deed should be proof of the ownership, but it must be combined with proof of death. The official death certificate will be needed to be presented to the title company, which will establish ownership under the original life estate deed.

The Alzheimer’s diagnosis creates another hurdle. Title companies are cautious when circumstances could be interpreted as self-dealing. They may ask if the agent had preserved the principal’s estate plan. In other words, did the father’s will give the house to the agent or to someone else? The agent may not act in a way that violates the existing estate plan. The durable power of attorney must be recorded with the county clerk for the life estate deed to be valid.

This is a situation where a qualified estate planning attorney will be able to ensure that proper measures are taken to protect the heir, as well as the estate.

Reference: My San Antonio (Feb. 11, 2019) “Life estate deed by agent must preserve estate plan”

What Happens If my Spouse Is Not on the Deed?

Having a Will Is Not The Same As Having An Estate Plan

How Does a Life Estate Deed Work?

We'd Love to Talk With You!

Mastry Law, P.A.

Route

Contact Us