Boyfriend moving in how do I protect my home?

lowis

i think the OP is being sensible and practical, !!!!!! happens and there is nothing wrong in thinking ahead and at least having discussions about possible future outcomes.

if i was moving in with someone i would still assume that i was solely responsible for my finances and my life, and would also make provision for the future - this would involve saving money for either a) a joint property if the relationship worked out or b) my own property if it didn't.

i think it is a HUGE mistake to lose independence just because you are sharing a home. you can still be independent whilst being in a relationship.

Errata

catmiaow wrote: »

So basically your saying if they do not pay towards my mortgage they can not claim anything. What he will pay is towards household bills, nothing towards my mortgage.

There are no "General Rules" that have any legal standing. Research the legal protection a Trust Deed would give you, and make sure you fully understand the legal meaing of Beneficial Interest.

Oldernotwiser

needaspirin wrote: »

Ending A Relationship

Cohabitation


The ownership of possessions can be quite complicated, but there are some general rules which apply:-
• property owned by one partner before s/he started cohabiting remains her/his property
• ownership of gifts given to one or both of the couple by someone else depends on the intention of the person who gave them
• the person who bought an item generally owns it; it will be owned jointly if bought from a joint account
• property given by one partner to the other belongs to the receiver of the gift. However, this can be difficult to prove. To show that it was a gift, it is necessary to prove that the goods were actually handed over into the recipient's possession. When goods are in joint use, this can be impossible to demonstrate.
If one partner gives the other housekeeping money, any property brought with savings from it will probably belong to the person giving the money. This is different from the position in marriage where savings from the housekeeping money would in a court dispute usually be divided equally between the husband and wife.

It might be a good idea if you cited a reference for this. It sounds very helpful but without knowing where it comes from it's difficult to know how much weight to give to it.

needaspirin

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

It might be a good idea if you cited a reference for this. It sounds very helpful but without knowing where it comes from it's difficult to know how much weight to give to it.

A condensed version of the information can be found on page 3 here: http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/f_ending_a_relationship_unmarried_couples.pdf

Oldernotwiser

needaspirin wrote: »

A condensed version of the information can be found on page 3 here: http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/f_ending_a_relationship_unmarried_couples.pdf

Thanks for that; the CAB usually know what they're talking about.

Errata

The fact sheet is intended to provide general information only and should not be taken as a full statement of the law on the subject.
Information does not mean 'rules' and 'rules' do not mean law.

Pssst

Catmiaow and others-if your BF moved in,how long might this situation of you owning the joint roof and him owning nothing,persist?

Will it be the same in 1 year,3 years,10 years or will you likely buy something together?

If you do buy something together after say,3 years...will it be a case of well my place is worth x,thats 100% of my contribution so you,BF,can pay all the mortgage?

Come to think of it,what rights does someone who is simply a lodger have? none as far as i can see?

What if you rent a room and pay rent in someone elses house? Surely you can just be thrown out with no notice as a simple trespasser?

Spendless

I queried this scenario with a solicitor when I bought my 1st house on my own and was told each case was decided on it's own merits and things like contribution to household improvements (eg double glazing) would be taken into account.

When I met my (now) husband, he had his own flat. We married within 2 years and everything became 'ours'. By then my house was in negative equity, we'd had to sell the flat for work/personal reasons and my house was too small. We BOTH took on the financial responsibility of getting another house and sorting out what to do about mine.

OP - If you've bought in recent years, have you considered there may not be any equity to quibble about?

Northern_girl_2

Pssst wrote: »

Catmiaow and others-if your BF moved in,how long might this situation of you owning the joint roof and him owning nothing,persist?

Will it be the same in 1 year,3 years,10 years or will you likely buy something together?

If you do buy something together after say,3 years...will it be a case of well my place is worth x,thats 100% of my contribution so you,BF,can pay all the mortgage?

Good question Pssst and one I have been pondering because at the moment my partner does not own anything. We're planning to get married, which kind of takes care of the problem.

If we weren't though I guess I would feel comfortable adding their name now after nearly 2 years living together. That's completely arbitary though so the only answer I could give is 'when it feels right', which doesn't seem very satisfactory because I usually like logical answers.

I think she would prefer to add her name to the morgage when we buy our next house because she would feel more like it was a joint decision.

Marg

Catmiaow - I have no advice how to manage your day to day finances but want to say how very wise you are to consider all the options before you start to share your home which is your security. I would do exactly that in your situation.
Ignore those who say you aren't ready to share - just proceed with caution.

Originally Posted by Ember999
Used to be a lot simpler when people simply got married when they wanted to live with someone. I wonder why so many choose to live together rather than get married? It was so much simpler then...

No Ember999 my parents married in 1950 & Mum's family friend solicitor advised her not to put her house in joint names until they'd been married for some time......so caution was the watchword then too.

Catmiaow - Whatever you do I hope it all works out OK for you - Good Luck!