14
Hi everyone,
I’m hoping someone might have been through something similar. My husband and I separated just before Christmas after 18 years together. We’re starting to talk about finances and I’m feeling confused about how inheritance is treated.
About five years ago, my mum passed away and I inherited around £120k. At the time, we used £60k of it to renovate the house (new kitchen, loft conversion, general repairs), and the rest is sitting in a savings account in my sole name.
My husband is now saying that because the money went into the house and improved it, it’s effectively “family money” and should be split. I understand that the renovations probably increased the value of the house, but it was my mum’s money and it feels very personal to me.
We also don’t have huge other assets apart from the house and pensions. Two teenage children, both still at home. I work part-time and he works full-time.
I’m not trying to be unreasonable, but I’m struggling with the emotional side of this. The inheritance feels like the last thing I have that’s just mine, and the idea of it being divided is hard to swallow. At the same time, I don’t want to approach this unrealistically.
Has anyone had inheritance come into the financial discussions? Did it get treated differently from other assets?
Would really appreciate hearing how it played out for others.