[KY] What are a co-owner’s rights when asked to sign a quitclaim deed to the other owner?

I am on the title of a home with a co-owner. He wants me to sign a quitclaim deed. I would like a better understanding of my rights and seek to make the best financial decision for myself.

No. I told him I would be seeking legal counsel prior to signing any documentation.

Yes. Significant.

No.

In 2020, I purchased a home with my romantic partner in Kentucky. We were not married. We are both named on the title/deed and the mortgage note. During our homeownership, we ended the relationship but remained living together and friendly. In July 2022, I started medical school in another city in Kentucky and thus moved out of the house.

To my understanding and memory, we had an agreement that I would pay the sewer and water bills monthly so I could claim the house as my permanent residence, but I was not responsible for the mortgage or other costs of the house. We were not in a spot to be able to sell at the time of my acceptance into medical school, so we agreed to wait to sell the house and split the profit 50/50. Unfortunately, none of this was in writing, but we did have discussion about it and that is to the best of my knowledge what happened.

I would intermittently go and stay a night or weekend at the house since July 2022. The last time I was at the house was March 30, 2025. When I have asked my friend/co-owner to visit since then, he has said "no" or "that does not work for me." So I have not had access to the house since March 30, 2025.

Of note, he has had at least one friend live with him during the time I have been gone for at least a few months. I do have reason to believe that someone has also lived at the house with him (without discussing with me prior) since August 2025.

Also of note, our mortgage loan was sold to a different company in December 2022. To my knowledge, I was not listed with the company it was sold to. The loan was also taken off of my credit report in December 2022; however, I don't know if there was an official release.

In August 2025, the co-owner ended his friendship with me. I was in a tough spot financially and reached out to him about selling the house later that month. He intermittently replied to my messages in August and September. Unfortunately, I was not in a place financially to pursue any legal action and we no longer communicated.

On April 13, 2026, I received a message that he had been working with an attorney and was sending a "quitclaim deed." I responded later in April that I wanted to speak to an attorney prior to giving up my part of the house.

He is now stating that if I don't respond within the week, he is going to file a contribution claim against me for around $40,000. Additionally, I have since learned that he has sought a realtor and listed the house for sale and it is pending sale, all of which was done without discussing it with me.

My goals: understand what my rights are in home ownership, and understand what would be the most financial benefit to me. I am happy to provide his most recent email with the contribution claim if that is helpful.

I have not been able to find any written agreement or documentation regarding the sewer and water bills.

No discussions were documented about splitting the profits of the house.

I have not received any formal documentation from the mortgage company. When it was sold, my name was no longer listed on the bill. All mail was directed to him. I did not and do not have access to the online account of the mortgage.

He sent an email with an itemized list of contribution claims. Do you need access to that? And is that something you can help me respond to?

Can you help in negotiating a settlement?

Here is what he sent to me:

Here's where things stand:

Down payment gap. When we closed in 2020, I put in $8,260.55 and you put in $1,575.85. A 50/50 split would have been $4,918.20 each. You came up $3,342.35 short of an equal contribution.

Mortgage payments since you moved out. Since May 2022, 48 monthly payments, I've paid every mortgage payment alone. At roughly $1,225 per month, your half of those 48 payments would be $29,400. You remain jointly liable on the original mortgage note throughout that period, which means under Kentucky co-obligor law I have a contribution claim against you for that amount.

Wall repairs and painting. I paid $4,100 in repairs and repainting to fix the deteriorating plaster walls and chipping paint. Your 50% share: $2,050.

Newly discovered sewage line collapse. I just learned the main sewage line has collapsed and excavation work must begin shortly at a cost of $9,500. (Attached is the quote for known repairs, final costs likely to be larger, and an image of the collapsed section.) Your 50% share: minimum $4,750, and this is why I can no longer offer $5,000 for signing of the quitclaim, along with the ongoing quitclaim prep costs.

Additional pending repairs (costs not calculated yet) which need to be addressed are the rotted and damaged fence sections (images attached), collapsed sidewalk sections which need to be raised and/or completely replaced ($1,000 to $2,000 expected, images attached), damaged gutters, damaged house siding that needs to be reset, repairs to the collapsing front cement stairs, etc.

Total you owe me to date: $39,542.35.

That means you owe me more than $8,000 over a 50% home equity value under Kentucky equitable partition, as there is just under $55,000 in total equity in the event of a complete sale (estimated appraisal $210,500) and even less with a refinance. Every additional month I carry the property alone, that gap grows by another $625 or so on top of maintenance costs.

I have no interest in suing you to recover this. It would be expensive, time consuming, public, and stressful for both of us, and I don't believe that serves anyone.

What I'm asking now is simple. Please sign the corrected quitclaim deed and walk away clean so I can utilize the equity to cover repairs or sale without constantly requiring your signature and without impacting your credit. In exchange, I will:

Waive my entire contribution claim against you ($39,542.35+).
Pay all attorney, recording, and notarization costs with my attorney for the prep (as I have).
Remove your name from the mortgage notes as soon as possible, ending any future note exposure for you.
Provide you a written mutual release confirming we're done, ensuring no future claims can be held against you, for peace of mind.

That's the absolute best I can offer now. A complete release from a debt obligation that's already larger than anything you'd recover by holding out, and a clean ending.

What kind of attorney would best be suited to help negotiate a settlement?