Legal Question in Family Law in Iowa
We are not married yetonly engaged and have purchased several items together including a home but it is in his name only. I designed and did ALL the work cleaning, painting, fixing, replacing, everything in the new home, and I paid cash for all all these things. He is now basically planning our divorce before we even get married. He has multiple other rental properties including the home we lived in before we purchased this one. He keeps saying that he will deed that one to me but of course I dont believe that either. We moved to the home we are in now because I needed to live there because of school territory for my children and that was an agreement with the proposal. Do I have any rights at all to keep this home, or take over the previous home? We have been together about 3 years and he has made lots of promises and gone back on them, made me move my children from one house to another after each time he wants something to change.
1 Answer from Attorneys
Unfortunately, I think your money's been poured down a dry hole, unless you can demonstrate the existence of a de facto partnership agreement of some kind or can show joint ownership of a property. The rights that are available to you in the absence of an agreement of some sort are severely limited. You sound like you're getting the bum's rush. I suggest you retain the services of a competent attorney to get a read on your situation.