My husbands aunt recently left him a flat in her will. Its a modest place, tucked away in the heart of London. My husband and I share our home with our three children: our eldest, Emily, is now nineteen and studying at university, our middle child Thomas is twelve, and our youngest, George, is just five. Were fortunate enough to live in a spacious three-bedroom flat, so theres more than enough space for everyone at the moment.
A disagreement has surfaced between my husband and me about his late aunts flat. I suggested that Emily should move in, given that shes old enough to start her own life, and may soon think about settling down. However, my husband claims that would be blatantly unfair to the boys. Hed rather sell the property, split the proceeds evenly three ways, and set aside the money for all the children. I cant shake the feeling that this would be rather foolish, since the money alone wouldnt buy them anything substantial today.
Even if we did as my husband wishes, the funds would just sit untouched in savings accounts until the boys are adults, and meanwhile Emily might just be able to buy a second-hand car with her share. I truly believe its better to have something solid now, rather than hope for something bigger in the distant future. If we let at least one of the childrenthe one who needs it nowuse the flat, we might be able to work something out for the boys when the time comes.
My husband, on the other hand, worries that giving the flat to Emily would spark jealousy, causing lasting strain between her and her brothers. I think the boys arent fully aware of the situation yet, so we still have time to sort out the future for them or come up with a fair solution.
We havent breathed a word of any of this to Emily. Weve agreed to keep our deliberations between us for now, especially since the flat is in desperate need of refurbishment. In its current state, it isnt fit to live in, and we simply dont have spare cash lying around to do it up at the moment.
So I find myself wondering whos got the right ideame or my husband? Should I stick to my guns, side with him, or is there another path we havent spotted yet that someone outside our situation could suggest?












