Real Legal

Conveyancing for
joint and
co-ownership

If you are buying a home with a partner, family member or a friend, you will need to think about how the property is held and how you ensure your interests are protected in case of any future disputes. Our conveyancing team will help to iron out all of the components of joint property ownership, which is also called co-ownership.

What are my options with regards to co-ownership?

When you buy a property with someone else, the conveyancer will ask about how ‘shares’ should be split. There are a number of ways to split shares. You can have an equal split (50-50) or an unequal split (40-60 for example). The split depends on individual circumstances and what everyone wants.

Unequal shares might be needed for a variety of reasons, some of them are here:

  • If one person contributes more to the purchase of the property
  • If someone has been gifted money to help them with the purchase
  • If there is an investment in the purchase
  • If there are different family circumstances e.g. one person has no children while the other one has from a previous partner.

In order to avoid potentially expensive disputes in the future, it is essential to take advice from specialists on co-ownership.

When a co-owned property is sold on, each party will receive their share as specified on the agreement. It is still possible to own property shares even if you are not a named person on the title deeds.

 

How do we help clients with co-ownership?

Our team of conveyancers will make sure they spend time understanding your unique situation and will give you advice on the best ways of proceeding with the purchase.

If you are thinking about buying the property with shares that are unequal, our Trusts team will be able to advise you so that the unequal shares are recorded officially through a document called a Declaration of Trust. We will give you peace of mind that your investment and your interests are protected should there be any disputes when selling on the property in the future.

For more information on what is involved in buying a property, read our buyer’s guide to conveyancing.

To get an instant online quote for either a Purchase Only or Purchase & Sale, visit our online conveyancing cost calculator.

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