My friend split with her boyfriend 12 months ago. They bought a house together in which he still lives. She has still been paying half the mortgage even thought she doesn't live there (for 12 months!!). She has asked him to get a lodger or friend to move in and pay it as he wouldn't be able to pay it all himself but it's not something he wants to do. He refuses to help her out or even speak to her about it. She wants nothing from the house and is happy to walk away from it. Can she have her name removed from the mortgage? Or can she force him to sell if he cannot re calculate to afford it himself?

Thanks!

Hi There,

I'm an independent mortgage adviser.

A lender will only remove a person form a mortgage if the remaining person can prove that they can afford the mortgage alone.

Irrelevant whether she is still leaving there or not, she is jointly responsible for the mortgage.

She could get a solicitor and try to force a sale but I would advise trying everything to come to a decission together first, as this can be costly.

If she stops paying the mortgage this will obviously badly affect her credit rating, so is not advisable.

I suggest she threatens to not pay anymore to scar him into doing something about it.

If he can't afford the mortgage on his own, perhaps she can, and could have him removed from the mortgage.

This is a problem for many couples whose relationships break down. A least they are not in negative equity, so can potentially walk away without a debt. This is not the case for the unlikely victims of the credit crunch.

I hope that this helps.

Victoria