Buying a house on my own, but living with my girlfriend

brenda10

Niv wrote: »

Makes me laugh that some women think that they can hook up with a bloke who owns his own home, contribute little to nothing financially, do no DIY or help with any maintenance, spend all their money on shoes then think they have a right to half the house if they split up. :rotfl:

I agree wholeheartedly, I have witnessed this happening, they think they are ENTITLED to everything.....spend all their money on bags, new teeth, bingo, clothes, shoes.....the list is endless, JUST TO SPEND spend spend when it isn't their own money.....and then half of the property and pension!!! Nasty cows Women are more vicious than men. They then think they can fight to have the children who were never important in their lives initially when it was all about 'ME MYSELF and I', but just want to WIN and punish the innocent other parent I am a female but thankfully not like this, thank goodness.

Mojisola

Browny137 wrote: »

I'm currently in the process of buying my first house and will be living with my girlfriend. My question is: if we were to split up in a few years time, would she be entitled to anything from me?

The answer is "she could be" depending on her contribution to the house and a few more subtle things. If you buy the house with the intention of it being a joint home and she is involved in which house you buy, etc, you will be putting her into a stronger position than if you buy a property and she later moves in with you. She will have established the position that you intended the property to be your joint home.

Claiming a "beneficial interest" in a property you've lived in but don't own isn't cheap and some people won't want to go to court over it and other people will hold the threat over the home owner in order to get pay-off to go away quietly.

One arrangement I've seen that works well is for the non-owner to put away in savings an agreed sum each month to cover what would be "rent/contribution to mortgage". If the relationship flourishes, after an agreed time the money becomes joint money and can be used to reduce the mortgage/joint living expenses/a holiday/joint rainy day savings/etc. If the relationship fails, the non-owner has the money to leave and find a new home.

Mojisola

brenda10 wrote: »

Nasty cows Women are more vicious than men.

I am a female but thankfully not like this, thank goodness.

If you're a woman and not like that, you obviously meant "some women". :rotfl:

Pixie5740

Men can be equally brutal. I have a colleague who wanted his wife to be a stay at home mum and not have a job/career (not that being a mum isn't a job but you know what I mean), now that a divorce is on the cards he's trying to hide all his money in offshore accounts.

To the OP, it all depends on what happens between now and then. If your girlfriend doesn't contribute towards the mortgage repayments or the maintenance of the property then she is unlikely to have any claim assuming she would try and claim anything at all. If you have children that might change things and if you decide to get married then all your worldly goods you'll bestow (and vice versa).

Hopefully everything works out for the pair of you and you grow old together so none of this will matter. I'll just go order my hat.

yorkshire_terrier_owner

I think men and women can be equally as greedy. In my case, when I bought with my ex bf we split everything down the middle - the deposit, mortgage payments (deeds and mortgage in joint names), bills etc. when it came to furniture we took it in turns - i.e. He bought the bed, I bought the sofa etc. then when we split he thought he was entitled to more out of the house because I left him. I only wanted out of it my half. He actually wanted to give me just £1000 out of £30k equity.

And people wonder why I'm happy as larry living on my own and very protective of what's mine!!!!!!

To the OP, I think you are right to want to protect what is yours.

sterl1ng

marathonic wrote: »

This is probably a step too far. The marriage would override the contract and, as far as I'm aware, a pre-nup in the UK isn't worth the paper it's written on.

Oh dear! So how can I protect myself If we get married as I work hard to get my home, it's miiiiiiine!:D

Mojisola

sterl1ng wrote: »

Oh dear! So how can I protect myself If we get married as I work hard to get my home, it's miiiiiiine!:D

If you get married and stay married for longer than about two years, everything becomes "yours" rather than "his" and "hers".

J_i_m

yorkshire_terrier_owner wrote: »

I think men and women can be equally as greedy. In my case, when I bought with my ex bf we split everything down the middle - the deposit, mortgage payments (deeds and mortgage in joint names), bills etc. when it came to furniture we took it in turns - i.e. He bought the bed, I bought the sofa etc. then when we split he thought he was entitled to more out of the house because I left him. I only wanted out of it my half. He actually wanted to give me just £1000 out of £30k equity.

And people wonder why I'm happy as larry living on my own and very protective of what's mine!!!!!!

To the OP, I think you are right to want to protect what is yours.

I think, the root of the problem is that people aren't very good at seeing past their own perspective, and so when someone writes about their own problem other people see will see it through their own eyes and not from the 'OP's.

This can sometimes lead to somewhat harsh and judgemental comments especially if the person commenting has only really thought about their own picture.

Personally I think whether we're men or women doesn't matter. We as people are all capable of being selfish and greedy.

In the position of the OP, I would make sure that I buy my property solely. That is, my partner is not involved in the process at all.

If they were to move in with me, I would only accept a contribution towards groceries and a 20% contribution to the council tax (as the single occupancy discount would no longer apply). I would pay everything else. And this would be covered by a written agreement, overseen by solicitors if appropriate.

Some may see that as cold and calculating. But it isn't. Effectively you're letting your loved one live with you for minimal financial contribution, they may even earn more money than you, they can use the vast majority of their money however they want to, but most importantly they've got the opportunity to save money to look after themselves in the event that the relationship brakes down. I view that as a very fair and reasonable arrangement.

t0rt0ise

Browny137 wrote: »

I am 21 and have only been with her a while - OBVIOUSLY it would be unwise to risk losing £1000's in the name of 'trust'.

So one wonders why you want to live together. Why not wait until you are sure that you want to share your life and not keep everything separate?

Browny137

You muppet, I'm buying a house for me to live in - to get me onto the property ladder. The fact my girlfriend is moving with me is irrelevant really, as I would be buying the house regardless.

No wonder so many people get themselves in a mess with attitudes like yours and several others on this thread.