When our son got married three-and-a-half years ago, his in-laws gave them £40,000 as a present to use as a deposit on a home. Our daughter-in-law now says marriage is not for her, the house is to be put on the market and her parents want their money back. Will they get it?
If the money was a joint gift then they will find it hard to argue that it should be repaid. Your son is married and so there are other factors which the court will look at too, such as the ages of the parties, their respective income positions and whether or not there are any children of the family. If the house is in joint names and that is the only asset then the starting point is that there is an equal spilt.