Can I sell my house if my ex is on the mortgage?

Asked by: Mia Keebler  |  Last update: September 6, 2025
Score: 4.5/5 (35 votes)

Get Permission From Your Ex – This may seem obvious, but if your ex is on the deed to your home, you can't sell it without them signing off.

Can you sell a house if the mortgage isn't paid off?

Yes. You don't need your mortgage to be fully paid off in order to sell your house. The important thing to remember is your home equity, which is the difference between your home's current market value and what you still owe on the mortgage.

How to sell a house if your partner doesn't want to?

How To Force A Sale When One Owner Wants To Sell A House As Is? You can acquire a court order if you want to sell a co-owned property, providing you have a compelling reason to sell. This is known as a partition action. A piece of land of a property is much easier for a court to divide up between co-owners.

How do I get out of a mortgage with my ex?

Refinancing the Mortgage: - You can refinance the mortgage in your name only. This typically requires you to qualify for the loan based on your income and creditworthiness. Once approved, the new loan pays off the existing mortgage, and your ex will be removed from the title.

Can you sell a house if you are on the deed but not the mortgage?

Yes. You can Sell it, but then during closing any existing mortgage or Leins, taxes, fees etc get deducted by the closing attorney, and the closing attorney writes you a check or transfers the remainder to your account.

Breaking Free: How to get OUT of a MORTGAGE with your EX-Spouse

16 related questions found

What are my rights if my name is not on the mortgage?

If you are not on the mortgage for whatever reason, you are not liable for paying the mortgage loan. That said, you get your spouse's interest in the property if they die. However, if you default on mortgage payments, the mortgage lender has the power to foreclose on the home and evict you.

What happens if I died and my wife is not on the mortgage?

If your surviving spouse isn't on the mortgage, federal law provides protections allowing them to assume the mortgage and keep the home. This is assuming they (and not someone else) inherit the property. The surviving spouse must also be able to afford the mortgage payments to assume the mortgage.

What happens if you break up with someone you share a mortgage with?

When you separate from your partner and have a joint mortgage, you are both liable for the mortgage until it has been paid off in full. Bear in mind that this is regardless of whether you still live in the property or not. You will need to make sure you keep up with any repayments you are legally obliged to make.

Can I remove my ex from a mortgage without refinancing?

There are two ways to remove a divorced partner from a mortgage: obtaining a release of liability from the lender or refinancing the mortgage. A release from liability is easier, but counts on the lender granting permission.

Can I sell my house if my ex is on the deed?

However, in a community property state (like California) – and even some states without community property laws – a home purchased during the marriage is considered marital property, regardless of whose name appears on the deed.

What happens if your ex refuses to sell your house?

Potential Sanctions: You may request sanctions such as full control of the sale, statutory interest on your share, attorney fees, or even a jail term to encourage compliance. Drawbacks of Contempt Motions: These motions require multiple hearings and can take months to resolve.

How do you sell your half of a house?

The options include negotiating a buyout, selling to a new owner, or initiating an action for partition. In addition, if there is a mortgage on the house or any other type of lien, there will be additional legal issue.

Can I force my partner to buy me out of the house?

Yes! In most cases, ANY co-owner (even a minority owner) can force a sale of the property regardless of whether the other owners want to sell or not.

Can you sell a house without paying it off first?

Yes, you can sell your house with an existing mortgage. Selling with a mortgage is actually very common since the average homeowner stays in their home for about 13 years. That means it's completely normal to pay off your mortgage by selling your home.

Can I transfer a mortgage to another person?

You'll typically only be able to transfer your mortgage if your mortgage is assumable, and most conventional loans aren't. Some exceptions, such as the death of a borrower, may allow for the assumption of a conventional loan. If you don't have an assumable mortgage, refinancing may be a possible option to pursue.

Can you take someone's name off a house without refinancing?

Bottom Line. While refinancing is the most straightforward and obvious way to remove a person from a mortgage, that option isn't always available or optimal. Doing so without refinancing is possible via mortgage assumption, loan modification or even bankruptcy.

Can I sue my ex for not paying the mortgage?

You can take legal action against them for breaching the agreement you both made or seek a court order to force the sale of the property. It's important to consult with a lawyer to understand your legal rights and options and to make the best decisions for your situation.

How to keep a house in divorce without refinancing?

If you want to keep the house and don't have enough equity to do a cash-out refinance or the money to pay your ex their share, the solution might be a home equity line of credit (HELOC) or home equity loan.

How do I leave a relationship with a joint mortgage?

An easy solution is for one of the parties to quitclaim their interest to the other. Often, the price for transfer consideration doesn't even have to be monetary. The party receiving the quitclaim can agree to refinance the property into their own name, getting the party leaving the home completely off the mortgage.

What if a spouse stops paying a mortgage during divorce?

If Your Spouse Isn't Paying the Mortgage

The bottom line is that your soon-to-be ex remains just as financially responsible for your shared mortgage as he or she was before (even if only you are living there while your divorce is pending).

What happens if you own a house together and break up?

You can either follow the legal procedures that apply in your state—typically this means the court will order the property to be sold, and the net proceeds (after paying mortgages, liens, and costs of sale) to be divided—or you can reach your own compromise settlement.

What happens if your husband dies and your name isn't on the house?

In many cases, the spouse can inherit your house even if their name was not on the deed. This is because of how the probate process works. When someone dies intestate, their surviving spouse is the first one who gets a chance to file a petition with the court that would initiate administration of the estate.

Can I sell a house if my name is not on the deed?

If the property is not in your name, you will need to determine if you have the legal right to sell it. This could be the case if you are the executor of an estate, the power of attorney for the owner, or if you have a valid contract or agreement with the owner giving you the right to sell the property.

What happens if two people are on a mortgage and one dies?

If the mortgage had a co-signer, the surviving borrower must continue making payments. If the house has been bequeathed to a beneficiary, they must continue making payments or sell the house.