'common law wife' ? ...

james3333

guys,
i have heard the term, but dont know what it REALLY MEANS....
Im looking into my GF moving in and im wondering what implications are involved.
its my house, all in my name and dont intend to put her on the mortgage. i will keep paying the mortgage and she will contribute towards food, utilities, etc etc.
now, where legally does this leave me if it went wrong?
can anyone advise?
would she have any stake in my property, over any length of time? or anything i should be aware of?

thanks

CLAPTON

common law wife has no meaning in english law

whether or not your partner had a claim on any of your assets or you on hers would depend upon the circumstances... like children, length of relationship, contribution to household expenses

Apricot

As long as she does not directly contribute towards the mortgage, I don't believe she can claim anything on the house.

james3333

CLAPTON wrote: »

common law wife has no meaning in english law

whether or not your partner had a claim on any of your assets or you on hers would depend upon the circumstances... like children, length of relationship, contribution to household expenses

length of relationship...... what could this mean? if she leaves after 5 years, what then?
household expenses?... how could any of this be proved?
she has a child from a previous relationship, would this matter?

Savvybunny2009

As far as common law goes, she would still have no bearing on your possessions, unless she pays any of the bills directly eg phone/mortgage/rent/council tax etc. If you want her to move in without hassle perhaps you should ask her to either pay for the food, or contribute to something else like leisure activities.

james3333

sounds really bad all this , but i have been burned once and wont do it again!
so, if she direct debited cash into my account (for contributions to bills, food, utilities etc) and i paid all the bills as normal she will have no holding?

Valli

are you in England or Wales?

james3333

Valli wrote: »

are you in England or Wales?

england, why?

Valli

because English and Welsh Law is different from Scottish Law and you are being advised by other posters on the assumption you're in England or Wales. So I thought I'd check.

james3333

ah, i see.....
so, what does everyone think...whats my best bet of 'protecting' myself....and my property?
not put her on bills, mortage etc and just get a payment every month into my account for contributions?

TrickyDicky101

I definitely wouldn't put her on any bills - you can always argue that any non-specified contributions were rent (presume below rent-a-room allowance so wouldn't cause you any tax problems) or contribution to food costs.

(I'm not a solicitor though).