As a parent, you must be loving your own child and also concerned about your child’s future and security. Many parents like to secure the future of their children by purchasing a house property.
However, the question is if you can buy a house in your child’s name or not. Let us discuss in this post whether you can buy any house in the name of any minor child.
Can you buy a house for your child?
As per the existing rule, if your child is under the age of 18, then the house cannot be registered under his or her name. That is because a young adult is not expected to earn that much money to buy a home.
However, if you wish to donate a house to your child who is below 18 years then you can buy it in your name initially. When your child becomes 18 years old, then you can execute a “Deed of Gift”.
If the whole thing is executed following all the necessary legal procedures, then you can transfer the property in the name of your child and also get it registered.
Few things to consider while transferring the property
When you are transferring a property like the house in the name of your child then you must remember the following few things.
1. Inheritance tax
When you are gifting your child a certain property, then you must also consider the chances of paying inheritance tax, which will be owed in the future.
2. Stamp duty and capital gain tax
If you are buying the house yourself, to gift him in the future, then you also have to pay capital gain tax and stamp duty charges during the purchase.
However, as a first-time buyer, your children need not pay all these taxes.
3. Conveyancing process
There is another complication, as you have to face the conveyancing process while transferring the property to the name of your child.
This can add further cost to you. So, it will be much simpler and cost-effective if you gift money to your child so that he can buy his own house, instead of you buying for him and then transferring it later when he or she becomes an adult.
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Therefore, the better idea will be that you invest the same money that you would have invested in buying a house and let it grow.
When your child becomes an adult, you can gift him that money, and as a first-time buyer your child need not pay capital gain tax.
Conclusion
As a concerned parent, it is nice to consider buying the house for your minor child and then transferring it in the name of your child when he grows up, as you cannot buy a house in the name of a minor child.
However, this option may require you to pay for several taxes that you can easily save if you decide to gift your child money when he becomes an adult. As a first-time house buyer, your child need not pay extra taxes.