Dear Quentin, I’ve been married for five years to my second husband. We are living in the house that I bought over 20 years ago that is in my name only, as is the mortgage. He pays me a little less than half the amount of my mortgage, and we split other bills, with me paying a little more on utilities. I also pay for all upkeep and improvements to the house, although he does some of the labor.
I have an adult child and grandchild, and he has adult children as well. I would like to leave my house to my child, but would allow my husband to continue to live there as long as he’d like, or until his death. The mortgage would be paid off out of my estate. Who should cover taxes and homeowner insurance each year? I’m leaning towards specifying that my husband cover that, and also leaving funds for upkeep such as a new roof or air conditioning. My husband and I disagree on whether he should …