Should I be charging my partner rent?

Ramouth

I can totally see why you might think that it would be fair for him to pay some rent because if you bought together with half your inheritance you could have invested the other half and be earning from it.  In your position I would still do as a previous poster said and pay equally into an account for bills, maintenance etc.  This will allow him to build up some savings for your next move.  But if he wanted to treat you to an occasional weekend away in appreciation then that would also be nice!  (My partner did this after I paid the deposit for our first place as he earned more)

Andyjflet

No don't charge him rent, he can pay the bills and you can split the food, have another pot for repairs etc that will be needed. 

onylon

I would say 50:50 on bills and food shopping is fair and I would not expect a partner to pay any kind of rent. It would be nice though if some of the money that would have gone on rent could be spent on meals out, day trips etc for the two of you.

BellaW

Assuming you would have lived alone if he wasn't moving in with you, I wouldn't charge him rent. Having said that, if I was you I would consult a solicitor and have some sort of tenancy agreement drawn up to cover yourself if the relationship breaks down.

I would split the bills and set up a joint account for them to go out of so you can both see what's going on. I would try to pay for any improvements to the fabric of the flat yourself, but if you do it jointly make sure to keep a record of who paid what and the same for furniture etc to avoid arguments.

If your boyfriend wants to contribute more, you could suggest putting it in savings towards a bigger place for you both in the future.

sammyjammy

I think you should split the bills 50/50 and encourage him to save an amount of money each month as suggested above.  As long as his money is not used to make improvements to the flat then you have no issue with him having an interest in the property.  He is paying no rent and even if he was there is no mortgage for him to assist with repaying,  

Greymug

When my partner moved into my mortgaged flat, I didn't charge her for rent and we split all the bills 50/50.

CookieMonster

No.
Split the utility and food bills 50/50.
Finance all home repairs/upgrades yourself.

saajan_12

Its really up to what you and partner agree. 
1. On one hand, you have no additional expenses for the accommodation (negligible extra wear & tear). Would you have taken in a lodger if partner wasn't moving in? 

2. On the other hand, partner is saving significantly on rent compared to renting alone or sharing rent. 

Personally I think the fairest thing is to split that benefit in half - why do we only look at the incremental cost on (1) but not the incremental benefit in (2)?

Theoretically bills are separate and can be split 50/50, but if it similar amounts then might be easiest if partner just pays all bills and no rent. 

AdrianC

Two grown adults. One kitchen table. One bottle of wine. Two glasses.

Sort it out among yourselves.

If you can't, the relationship's doomed.

Brie

I don't get the negative responses on here and I don't get how paying rent gives someone a stake in the property.  

Frankly if it was me I would set up some type of legal document akin to a rental agreement which would lay out that first and foremost it's your property in your name only. 

Secondly you should outline what money he will pay and towards what.  Split between the two of you perhaps based on your relative salaries.  I'm thinking all of the normal bills in a house - food, utilities, insurance but not renovations, major repairs or material changes.  No one would expect their tenant to pay to replace a boiler, for instance, unless they were responsible for blowing it up of course.

Now if he decides that the lounge needs a feature wall with a murial then he can pay for that himself or you can decide to chip in.  Likewise you can decide (as you probably have already in the last couple of years) how you are going to contribute to holidays or a shared car.

And I don't think you can dictate that he get a savings account in his own name and needs to put X amount in monthly or whatever.  If he thinks there's a future with you and dreams of a rose covered cottage in the Cotswolds then he'll know that he's going to have to save a whack so that you can both have that dream together some day.  If he instead decides that he needs his own music and games room for only his use or wants to drink away the rest of his mullah then that's his decision too and you'll know what kind of future you can expect.