Boyfriend moving in how do I protect my home?

catmiaow

My boyfriend due to be moving into my home in a few months. I brought this house in 2005 and its always been in my name.

Just wondering how I go about protecting myself, in case we break up. I don't want to be left having to give him half of everything I built up?

Is there anything else I can do to protect myself as well? Thanks in advance

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catmiaow

Anyone???????

izzzzythedog

keep the bills in your name , get it in writing to say what hes paying toward ( not for ) and get him to pay into an account so any money is 100% traceable , this means he pays toward the elec gas phone etc but doesnt have a stake in the house as he will have paid nothing toward it , get this in writing if you can , if you have children this will all change but either way good luck with it

blackcoffee

to me it sounds like you are not ready to share your lfe with this bloke. if you are already concerned, then i think its best he stays where he is !

maybe you could draw up a rental agreement and you could have a trial with him as your tennant ?

SandC

It's your house and he wouldn't be entitled to anything unless he took you to court stating that he'd paid all the mortgage, paid for extension work etc. If he's just living with you and contributing to household bills then no court would award him anything as you could and did pay all those yourself before he moved in and he would have had the same, or higher, outgoings if he were renting somewhere.

It's a myth that just because someone lives with you they are entitled to a share in your assets if you break up. Only if they've made significant financial contributions is this the case, not when it's just day to day living. It's known as having a 'beneficial interest' and the partner who doesn't own the home would have to prove this and would need the legal assistance to do so.

3plus1

I agree with CFC and blackcoffee. To be perfectly honest, if my boyfriend walked off with half of everything I own, it would be the least of my worries. I'd miss him, not the money. It's unlikely that you would end up in a position where your boyfriend would be able to make a claim on your assets - but that's not the point. The point is, you don't want to share everything with him.

It doesn't sound as if you're ready to live together yet. You sound as if you'd worry over the equity in your house and you wouldn't trust him with a joint bank account for bills, joint spends, etc.

If you're both happy with your relationship as it stands now, I would suggest keep going as things are, and hold off on moving in together. I would suggest it would be far more damaging to your relationship to move in together and grow slowly resentful than to wait another six months/year and reassess where you are emotionally and maybe move in together then.

Purple_Sparkles

Have you spoken to your BF about this?

It's something that would concern me too (but I rent so it's not the same). If he's serious about moving in and you really want him too perhaps an agreement drawn up by a solicitor saying that in the event of you breaking up that he would have no claim on your house, may help. Have no idea how much it would cost but for peace of mind and to save problems just in case the worst happened it may be money well spent.

It's something I would do but I've been through the mill too many times and lost everything (except for my lovely son) and had to start again.

Good Luck.

SailorSam

That's a good question.
My house will be paid for in a couple of years, and it's something i've thought about.
When i was in my twenties it would have been easier to answer but now thirty years later, 'how much do i want a new womanm or how much do i want to keep everything i've worked hard for', is not as straightforward

[Deleted User]

Ask him to pay rent, then get some additional tax back under the rent-a-room scheme!
http://direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/Taxes/TaxOnPropertyAndRentalIncome/DG_4017804

Everyone's a winner!

MrsTinks

ringo is right Set things up so he's a tenant with an agreement and then he'll have no more rights than any other lodger
I moved in with my now husband under 6 months after we met due to my landlord wanting some long term commitment from me etc and I wasn't happy to do that as it was so far from my boyfriend... so we talked about it and i moved in... made things financially easier for both of us but we never had an agreement - on the other hand I'd also never have expected any of his equity in the house had we split! Now we have a joint mortgage etc and we're hitched and expecting next year but that was all based on trust. If you don't have that then explain to him you had some bad experiences in the past and you don't want anything to happen like it again etc so would he mind signing a tenancy agreement like a lodger?

pinkshoes

Firstly, if you're thinking about this, then I'd say perhaps you're not ready to move in with this guy!! Get a lodger tenancy agreement, but discuss this with him BEFORE he moves in, so that it doesn't cause any arguments!

Secondly, if he took you to court for his share, then he'd only be entitled to half the equity change since he moved in. Bearing in mind house prices are falling, that would mean that he would owe YOU money for half the decrease. People are often so quick to claim half an equity increase, but forget it works the other way round too!