Money Moral Dilemma: Should I pay half the Stamp Duty on the house I'm buying with my boyfriend?

grassmarket

Assuming he’s selling his other property & putting equity towards a 50:50 purchase with you - I’d say bite his hand off! 

Otherwise - you need to have adult discussion with him. & get a proper legal agreement set up to protect your own investment. 

As others have said: stamp duty is a minor consideration, compared to the need for legal protection. 

MikeJXE

You shouldn't pay any of it 

The way you are talking it's not going to last so find someone more suitable 

Newbie_John

Change a boyfriend to another first time buyer?

But more seriously, like any other fees - you two need to agree how to split them - if he showers at the gym and you take big baths every day - how will you be paying for water? If you have a family car that he also drives to work - who pays insurance? And so on..

mancitytwin29

Check with your solicitors. I am selling my main residence with my wife to move into bigger house. I own half of my sisters house. Have been told as I am using the new house as my main residence then I don't have to buy the extra stamp duty. I gain no income from sisters house and it doesn't have mortgage on it.

SWGranny

It's a difficult one isn't it?  It does seem unfair that because of your boyfriend's property situation you have to pay stamp duty, whereas solely, as a first time buyer, you would not.  My inclination would be that he should pay the stamp duty since he is the one who already owns a property, but I think it is a conversation that the two of you need to have to both agree what you feel is fair.  Your boy friend would have benefitted from no stamp duty on his original property, so to to me it seems only fair that you should have the same benefit for your first property.

bikaga

Pay your half - you probably wouldn't be able to afford the same place and keep up the same standard of living if you were the only person on the mortgage. You're getting a huge saving in your own contributions to being a property owner by having a second person involved.

sheramber

mancitytwin29 said:

Check with your solicitors. I am selling my main residence with my wife to move into bigger house. I own half of my sisters house. Have been told as I am using the new house as my main residence then I don't have to buy the extra stamp duty. I gain no income from sisters house and it doesn't have mortgage on it.

No higher stamp duty is because you are replacing your main residence. That means disposing / selling your previous  main residence to buy a new main residence. 

The OP is not replacing her mainresidence as she does not own  one.

Erica51

If you’re already arguing about this you shouldn’t be a couple and you certainly shouldn’t be buying a house together.  Get out now!

retired19

Stamp duty to pay is part of the legal costs of buying the property. If its not paid then you can't buy. You are taking on half the ownership so you take on half the costs of buying. You are now in a partnership. His circumstances are shared as are yours. Are you planning a lifetime together? Then wake up sometimes you will be up on the seesaw and sometimes he will be 

Indigosaff

I think you'd need to provide more info on both your financial situations.
Why aren't you moving into the property he already owns? 
Assuming he is renting it out, will the money he recieves offset any of the mortage? I think if he flat out doesn't want to move into the property he already owns AND won't use any of that income to offset the mortgage then he is nitpicking which doesn't bode well. If you still decide to buy with him, he should pay the stamp duty. 
Have you already spoken to him about this?
Buying a property as partners is less desirable, especially for a woman may want to have children with this man in the future.
I don't think there's anything wrong with discussing money, especially if you plan to start a family because everything can't be 50/50, unless he wants to grown a baby for 4 1/2 months, morning sickness etc etc.