Am I paying too much?

kimwp

tacpot12 said:

Keep_pedalling said:

Bardsley123 said:

Keep_pedalling said:

You partner is foolish if he is making you contribute to his mortgage costs as this will give you the ability to claim a beneficial interest in the house if you split up and I would  point that out to them.

I’ve read a bit about the idea of beneficial interest when someone contributes towards their partner’s mortgage. In my situation, I transfer a fixed amount each month as “rent/board,” and there’s no mention of the mortgage attached to the payment. We also don’t have anything written down — it’s all based on a verbal agreement. Because of that, I’m unsure whether what I pay could legally be viewed as contributing to the property’s equity. For all I know, he may be using my contribution for general household expenses rather than the mortgage itself.

I’m just trying to understand the legal side more clearly, so any clarification or insight from those with experience would be really appreciated.

It’s quite simple really if you are paying more than half of the household expenses then you are contributing to the mortgage. You are a partner not a lodger so rent should not come into it. 

While I understand the sentiment of this statement, I don't think this is quite correct. I am in the situation described by the OP, but I pay my partner 'rent' to live in her house because I don't think anyone can expect to live somewhere without paying something. My partner doesnt have a mortgage, and I agreed when I moved in that I would never make a claim for a beneficial interest in her house. We split all our joint living costs as equally as we can. 

Our living costs are about £1,200 including food. My partner pays about £900 of these, and I pay about £300 of these, so I also pay her £300 a month to balance these up. We also have a spreadsheet we use to settle up ad-hoc shared costs each month, e.g. if I put fuel in the car, this cost goes on the spreadsheet, and if she pays a vets bill, this cost goes on the spreadsheet, and at the end of the month we settle up; this might require me to pay her something or her to pay me something.

If you are paying half the living costs and these do not include rent or mortgage, then how are you paying rent?