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bonac66 · Nov 11, 2010, 05:56 AM

I have a manufactured home in a mobile home park. How do I add someone to the title?

smoothy · Nov 11, 2010, 06:12 AM

And I have a question... WHY?

bonac66 · Nov 11, 2010, 06:23 AM

To protect my life partner from losing our home if I die.

smoothy · Nov 11, 2010, 06:37 AM

That's what Wills are for, or Trusts.

Put their name on the title now and next year you have a falling out? Guess what, they now own half your house, can force a partitioon sale and force you out.

Once they have their name on it... there is nothing you can do to change it back...

Besides a Will or Trust has tax advantages, along with the ability to change it if the relationship should change... and that does happen all the time.

bonac66 · Nov 11, 2010, 06:39 AM

We're in our 60s - I don't imagine we'll have a falling out at this point in life!

smoothy · Nov 11, 2010, 06:48 AM

I know people that have separated and divoced in their 60's after a lifetime together, it happens.

There are tax benefits to inheariting something rather than it being given.

Give them half the house now that's taxible income... if they inherit it... its not considered income. And its cheap to have a will done.

smoothy · Nov 11, 2010, 06:57 AM

Let me add this as an afterthought... assuming either of you have living family members... and both of you were on the title... with no Will specifying who gets what... family would have legal claim to the portion either of you has on the deed. Another reason why putting them as the benificiary in a will is best. Not to mention if they end up having to go to a nursing home before you... the government would view their half of the house as an asset...

There are really a long list of negatives to adding them to the deed rather than simply putting them in the will to get the house.

And no positive reasons.

twinkiedooter · Nov 11, 2010, 10:57 AM

If you really want to add this person to your MH title then all you have to do is take the original title and your partner down to the DMV and add your partner to the title. You have the right to do anything you wish with your property and can add the other person onto your title if that is what you wish. If you do add the other person to the title and you die say in a year or so that other person then owns your home free and clear and there is no probate court costs involved getting the home transferred to them. Probating anything even if it IS in a will costs attorneys fees that cannot be negotiated. The attorney's fees are a set percentage amount of the total estate and must be paid in full prior to the final probate of any will. In other words say if your home was valued at $50,000 and you left it in your will to the other person that person would have to pay the lawyer's mandated attorney's fees prior to having the estate final probated. This could theoretically cost at least 15% of the cost of the home. Does your partner have that kind of $$$$ laying around the house to give to some attorney to legally get your home? Probably not.

You do need to have the title worded as follows though:

Jane Smith AND John Doe

Do not use the AND/OR as John Doe could then sell the home without you as the and/or means it's either all yours or all his and that person does not need your signature to sell the home.

If you do die before him all he would have to do is take your death certificate to the DMV and have your name removed from the title without the necessity of probating your will.

If you have no other beneficiaries involved this would be the cheapest way to go. Smoothy did bring up some salient points but doing it his way will end up costing your partner lots of money in the end.