Selling a Share in a House

Does anyone know the answer to this one?

If you are left a house 50/50 with a sibling what happens if one of you wants to sell your share but the other can't afford to buy it and doesn't want to sell the house?

Can you just sell your half to someone else? If so, who would buy it?

Or can you force the sibling to sell the house?

Ooh, sounds like a solicitor's question to me. What was the arrangement when the house was left to you 50:50 in the first place, if any?

It's not me - I wish! A man I know has jointly inherited a house with his sister. The sister lives there and wants to stay there and keep the house but can't afford to buy her brother out but the brother doesn't want to keep it and wants to be bought out, either by her or someone else or just sell up.

I feel sorry for the woman his sister I imagine she has either lived in the house all her life or moved there to care for a parent or someone. Can he not let her "rent" his half?

Other than that I have no idea.

Karen

Nor me Kazz - poor woman - family eh? Good job you can choose your friends

If she has lived there all her life (don't know her age mind) she could contest the will under 'right of support' (or something like that) or at least try to prevent a forced sale. Definately a solicitors job

At some point the ownership has to be legally enshrined.

There are two different forms of joint ownership:

Joint tenancy or Tenancy in common.

How the joint ownership is worded may determine what can happen to the property. For fuller info, see here:

http://www.firstrungnow.com/joint_ow...og_content.asp

I thought she would have had to sell if she can't afford to buy him out.
As she lives there though, and if she can prove she's lived there for years (name on bills / mail addressed to that house like bank statements I assume), he may have a fight on his hands.
I think the bottom line is that the property wasn't hers before and only half of it is hers now.
With regard to selling with her in situ, years ago a friend of ours bought a house with an elderly lady still living there (bizarre in my opinion), the price they paid was very low. The elderly lady was classed as a sitting tenant - sadly she didn't live very long, but she could have lived on for years.

As Vicki says - Families and money, not a good mix

Yep solicitors - good luck

Thanks everyone. TBH I wouldn't feel too sorry for her - the mother died intestate and the sister has had the easy life, living there and expecting her brother to provide and tried to do him out of his share and it's only just come to light. As you say, families and money . It's shocking really.