My husband is thinking of buying a property in Geneva for his mother (her money, of course) as a rental investment. They want to put it in his name. Will I have any legal right to this property?

Their other idea is to put it in my baby son's name. Can they do this in Switzerland?!

Not Geneva, but close enough:

http://www.gstaadrealestateservices....ate.php?cid=13

Inheritance law:

http://www.buerobass.ch/pdf/2007/Erb...g_englisch.pdf

The important point is if they do this you will be entitled to half the value if your husband dies or divorces you. So don't rock the boat!

Before you decide whose name is going to be on the deeds you need to check out the tax aspect, as there could be gift tax or inheritance tax aspects to the transaction. I don't know what the Geneva situation is so can't advise there. Also there are various degrees of ownership eg. buying a property in one name but giving another person a lifelong right to use it. This right can be only as long as they live in it, or can be even if they don't live there and rent it out. You need to consult a lawyer about this, as there are a few worst case scenarios with buying something in someone else's name and you need to be aware of them even if you decide to ignore them.

What about taxes? If this is a rental property, then I know there is tax on the income, but what about the property itself (i.e. value of the property).