# Legal help/advice needed!!



## bunterboy99 (Jun 8, 2011)

Hi. Hoping someone might be able to give me some advice. My wife and I have divorced, and as part of the settlement, I get the flat in Lagos. But it is in joint names. She needs to take her name off the deeds, but the two lawyers we have spoken to are trying to tell us that this is a very long-winded and extremely expensive process!

I think we're being conned. After all, people must get divorced in Portugal too, so this cannot be a completely different state of affairs from how the legal process works in the UK.

Has anyone been through this? Any advice on how best to get this done? Any lawyers out there you'd recommend?

All help gratefully received!

Thanks

Nick


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## canoeman (Mar 3, 2011)

Why not consult one of the lawyers listed on the UK Lisbon Embassy site, who are represented in UK and Portugal, at the least you'd get some free legal advice at the UK end.

I would think it could be difficult and expensive because your UK divorce and settlement papers will need translating by an official translator, then proved to be valid etc, before you could start process of removing her name.

Maybe a slightly more creative way of transferring ownership like selling to you at a nominal price? but that could cause a major CGT liability if you sold


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## MarcoCarrico (Jan 27, 2010)

tell your wife to donate her share to you, Im an architect but I know its common practice to donate properties and its easy


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## bunterboy99 (Jun 8, 2011)

That's great advice. Does that have to be done through a lawyer?


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## omostra06 (Sep 11, 2007)

Take some proper professional advice on this, from a lawyer that deals with this sort of thing,
there are various things that will effect how easy it is to remove someone from ownership of a property, a lot depends on what status you bought the property in, married joint assets or seperate assets, you will have declared this on purchase.
there are tax implications, its not a straight forward thing, you will whichever way its handled, have to do another signing at the notary, which will cost you, find a good lawyer.


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## MarcoCarrico (Jan 27, 2010)

bunterboy99 said:


> That's great advice. Does that have to be done through a lawyer?


can be done by a lawyer or solicitor because theres some paperwork to do and arragements to sign the deeds with the conservatoria and they know whats necessary to do.


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## canoeman (Mar 3, 2011)

bunterboy99boy hasn't said Nationality or where he is Resident, so my answer presumes he's English and the divorce settlement was done there.
Would not a deed of gift have some tax implications?


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