{"id":12354,"date":"2022-01-30T08:25:09","date_gmt":"2022-01-30T14:25:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/legaltalktexas.hammerle.com\/?p=12354"},"modified":"2025-06-18T16:50:53","modified_gmt":"2025-06-18T21:50:53","slug":"contracts-between-family-members-avoiding-common-problems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hammerle.com\/legaltalk\/estate-planning\/contracts-between-family-members-avoiding-common-problems\/","title":{"rendered":"Contracts Between Family Members: Avoiding Common Problems"},"content":{"rendered":"

A One- Act Play.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Characters: Ailing elderly mom, not-so-wealthy adult son, and son\u2019s wife.<\/span><\/p>\n

Opening scene: Living room in a nice house located in an unidentified eastern state. Son, son\u2019s wife, and mom are talking.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Mom: \u201cWoe is me; I am sick, and I need help.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Son: \u201cIt would be great if you were closer to us. But our house is too small for you to live there, and we don\u2019t have enough money to buy a bigger house.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Mom: \u201cI have an idea. What if I sell my house here and use the money to help you buy a bigger house in Texas? Then I can live in the house with you for the rest of my life.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Son and Son\u2019s wife: \u201cOK.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Second scene (takes place 1 year later, in the kitchen of a house in Texas).<\/span><\/p>\n

Mom: \u201cI\u2019ve sold my house, given you over $200,000 to buy this new one, moved here, and now we are all living together. But you yell at me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Son: \u201cWhy do you say such mean things to my wife?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Son\u2019s wife: \u201cFrom now on, we will only communicate by passing written notes back and forth.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Mom: \u201cI will just stay in my room.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Third scene (takes place 6 months later, son and son\u2019s wife on one side of a closed door, mom on the other side).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Son (yelling): \u201cWe received an offer on the house and are selling it. You have 3 weeks to find another place to live.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Mom (yelling back): \u201cWhen do I get my money back?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Son and Daughter- in- law: [silence]<\/span><\/p>\n

The End.<\/span><\/p>\n

Common Family Agreement Complications<\/span><\/h2>\n

Problems often arise with agreements among family members. There are several reasons why this happens. The agreements tend to be more casual because of the relationship. Families often agree on the main idea but then neglect to iron out the details. The agreements are seldom in writing. Family members tend to make deals with each other that they would never make with anyone else.<\/span><\/p>\n

When a family agreement goes awry – and many of them do – then emotions come into the picture. Family members tend not to play fair. They may say that they have a completely different memory of the deal points. Claims may arise that the deal was unreasonable or that there wasn\u2019t even a deal at all. A family member may threaten to withhold visits with grandchildren or cause an estrangement with other relatives not involved in the deal.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Is a Contract Between Family Binding?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Yet a contract between family members is just as binding and enforceable as a contract between strangers. It is not a defense that the other side to the contract is your mother.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the above scenario, the parties had a contract. The elements of a valid contract are an offer, an acceptance, a meeting of the minds, each party\u2019s consent to the terms, and execution and delivery of the contract with the intent that it be mutual and binding. Mom offered to financially contribute to the purchase of the property so she could live there the rest of her life. Son and his wife agreed. Mom paid the money and moved in.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It is challenging for families to grapple with care and living arrangements for an older relative. Sometimes it makes sense for an elder to move in. Before that happens, iron out the details on issues like reimbursement of expenses, costs of caregiving, house rules, living space, and what happens if the arrangement doesn\u2019t work as planned. And put it in writing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hammerle Morris Law Can Help<\/span><\/h3>\n

If you have questions about your options, <\/span>schedule a consultation<\/span><\/a> with one of the experienced <\/span>attorneys<\/span><\/a> at Hammerle Morris to discuss what is right for you.<\/span><\/p>\n

Virginia Hammerle<\/span><\/i><\/a> is an attorney with Hammerle Morris Law Firm.\u00a0 She is entering her 40th year in the practice of law.\u00a0 She is Board Certified in Civil Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal specialization. Contact legaltalktexas@hammerle.com to receive her firm\u2019s newsletter.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A One- Act Play.\u00a0 Characters: Ailing elderly mom, not-so-wealthy adult son, and son\u2019s wife. Opening scene: Living room in a nice house located in an unidentified eastern state. Son, son\u2019s wife, and mom are talking.\u00a0 Mom: \u201cWoe is me; I am sick, and I need help.\u201d Son: \u201cIt would be great if you were closer […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":12355,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1224],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-12354","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-estate-planning"},"yoast_head":"\nContracts Between Family Members: Avoiding Common Problems - Hammerle Morris Law Firm<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Problems often arise with agreements among family members, especially regarding the health of an ailing relative.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hammerle.com\/legaltalk\/estate-planning\/contracts-between-family-members-avoiding-common-problems\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Contracts Between Family Members: Avoiding Common Problems - 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