Maintenance / Child Support
Parent
My husband and I are in desperate financial trouble. We helped our children buy their homes when we were in a comfortable financial position. However,my husband has had to give up consultancy work due to ill health and our savings are dwindling. Our children are all doing very well financially. Do they have a legal obligation to support us if we need it ?
Maintenance / Child Support •ParentYes, adult children have a legal obligation to support their parents , according to the Family Law Amendment (Maintenance ) Act of 1959 but only if certain conditions are met. The act gives a list of relatives, other than spouses and minor children, entitled to the act, in order of priority. Parents and spouses’parents are top of the list. Your adult children only have an obligation to support you if they are proved to have a surplus after supporting themselves, their spouses and children, providing that you can also prove that you are not in a position to support yourselves.
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