Buying a house and girlfriend moving in

jimbo2108

She was involved in all the viewings and also helped choose. She is okay with it as i'm putting down all the deposit. However, she keeps bringing up that she is just a tenant, as shes not on the deeds.

need_an_answer

jimbo2108 wrote: »

She was involved in all the viewings and also helped choose. She is okay with it as i'm putting down all the deposit. However, she keeps bringing up that she is just a tenant, as shes not on the deeds.

she not ok with the situation then.

Actually she has less rights than a tenant.

jimbo2108

She is excited about moving in and we have choose furniture together etc. She was okay with it from the begining but as it is now coming to completion this is when she keeps saying she wants to be on the deeds etc. I think this is mainly her family telling her to be on the deeds, as her mum did this with her current partner after being in a relationship for around 8months.

need_an_answer

Wherever the persuasion is coming from doesn't matter...you are clearly in a situation where your girlfriend perhaps want more than you are prepared to give.

It boils down to whether you maintain the stand you have already given and she moves in on the understanding that she pays utility bills only or she re evaluates the relationship and either walks away now or lets it fester for a few months whilst you both live in the property.

you are on different pages of a book at the moment

Come back in 6 months time and update the thread with how its going...in the interim I wish you both luck in "your" new home

george4064

need_an_answer wrote: »

She just needs to pay you half of the utility bills.

Until you get each of those bills in you wont know how much she actually owes you.

I would be wary of her paying a set amount into an account that you don't normally use.

Maybe you could consider a joint bills account that funds just the utilities and you each pay in the same amount...returning any excess to eachother if there becomes too big a credit balance over a period of time.

however looking forward if you should choose to marry her at some point then its game change.

Seconded.

This is what I would recommend you do:

1. Setup a joint account for bills, you and your girlfriend both pay in the same amount that covers utilities, council tax, TV licence, food etc. You could potentially split this accordingly with your salaries, so whomever earns more will contribute more and vice versa.

2. Assuming your girlfriend works, I suggest she setups a savings account (such as Marcus) and each month saves an amount agreed between the two of you (good starting point is how much it costs to rent a room in your local area).

3. If all goes well and you two stay together, get married etc than that pot of money your girlfriend has been saving becomes your joint finances.

This means that she is never actually paying you any money directly and hence virtually eliminates any grounds for her to claim an interest in the property.

However as you can imagine, there is not a 'one size fits all' approach and whilst a method might work for one couple it might not work for another due to their circumstances.

jimbo2108

Thank you very much for the information and giving me a clearer view. I will let you all know how its going in 6months time!

Mutton_Geoff

george4064 wrote: »

1. Setup a joint account for bills, you and your girlfriend both pay in the same amount that covers utilities, council tax, TV licence, food etc

My live in partner only pays a quarter of the council tax on the basis that I'd only get a 25% discount if I lived on my own so she only covers my extra costs. Similarly, I don't take any money for utility bills as the house still costs the same to heat with or without her.


She pays no rent or anything but is extremely generous paying for meals out etc.

need_an_answer

Mutton_Geoff wrote: »

My live in partner only pays a quarter of the council tax on the basis that I'd only get a 25% discount if I lived on my own so she only covers my extra costs. Similarly, I don't take any money for utility bills as the house still costs the same to heat with or without her.


She pays no rent or anything but is extremely generous paying for meals out etc.

this just shows how adaptable people can be to sorting out their living arrangements and be comfortable with their own decisions.
It shows that one size doesn't fit all but what you both have tio be in in agreement with whatever is decided.

The main difference between your situation Geoff is that your partner is not asking to be put on the deeds or wanting anymore from the situation than you have both already agreed upon.

I'm not convinced that the OP and his girlfriend have reached the point that they agree on her wants to be recognised in respect of the property and his desire to want to maintain it separately.

Perhaps as well theres a different dynamic in your relationship..who knows,your partner may be happily financially independent as you yourself may be. The OP is only 25 and may not have reached the point in his lifecycle where he can comfortably pay all the bills,mortgage and maintaninance on his new property solely on his own,he may need his girlfriends input to some extent,or indeed her offering to pay for their next meal out or holiday.
The ability to take more on comes with things like an increased salary,a maturity and a different outlook on how you see your future spanning out.

I'm not in the 20's age bracket any more,I suspect I'm nearer your age than that of the OP ...and yes I can quite comfortably say i'm of a different mindset now than I was back in the day.

jimbo2108

I can afford all the bills by myself, however i'm in the mindset she needs to pay her way, it will be cheaper then living in a rented house for us both. I am looking in a couple of years 'if' we are still together of getting the deeds in both our names, mortgage etc. Just want some security for the mean time.

KBNewby

jimbo2108 wrote: »

I can afford all the bills by myself, however i'm in the mindset she needs to pay her way, it will be cheaper then living in a rented house for us both. I am looking in a couple of years 'if' we are still together of getting the deeds in both our names, mortgage etc. Just want some security for the mean time.

You're benefiting from being on the property ladder and are paying into a mortgage in your name which you can afford anyway. She should only really be paying towards what she is using/benefiting from, so utilities, council tax etc, so the consumable expenses so to speak.

I was in a relationship with someone which started when we both had just brought our own properties. I ended up moving in with him and he insisted on me paying a "spare room" rent to him monthly which over time became a massive bugbear as I was just bolstering his bank balance with no input allowed into "our" home. The inflexibility and insistence to treat me as a lodger was a part of the reason why I walked out...