Plain-English answer · England and Wales
Can I give my house to my children?
A home can be transferred, but that does not make it a safe estate plan. If you continue living there without paying full market rent, the gift may remain in your estate for Inheritance Tax. There is also no general seven-year care-fee rule.
The Inheritance Tax trap
An outright gift to an individual may be a potentially exempt transfer. But if you give away the home and continue living in it rent-free, HMRC may treat it as a gift with reservation of benefit. The home can remain relevant to your estate even after seven years.
You are giving away control
The transfer creates real ownership consequences.
- A child's divorce or bankruptcy may affect the property.
- The child may die first or change their will.
- Creditors may reach the asset.
- Selling, moving or borrowing may need the owner's agreement.
- Tax may arise outside Inheritance Tax.
Care costs use a different test
In England, a local authority can consider whether someone deliberately deprived themselves of assets to reduce care charges. Timing is evidence, not a simple safe period. Wales has its own framework, so care advice must be jurisdiction-specific.
Official sources
Use these to check the current official position before acting.
This page provides general information only. It is not legal, tax, financial, pension or care-funding advice. Obtain independent advice from appropriately qualified professionals before acting.