Boyfriend buying a place - how much rent should I pay?

[paintedfences]

My boyfriend is buying a place and would like me to live with him - we live together in rented accommodation at the moment, the buying place is in the same city, a very popular place to live so prices are high.

Mortgage would be 800 per month - at the moment we pay the same in rental, 400 each. My question is how much rent is reasonable to pay? It's further out of town than where we are now so will be harder for me to get to work, and I'll be helping do the place up though not paying for any materials. I don't want to pay 400 for what is essentially a more awkward location, but I'm not sure what's reasonable - what do you think is the right amount?

I could ask to go in on the buy if I wanted, I know he'd be happy for me to. I'm just scared to in case we then break up (I have commitment issues). We both work full time, he's lovely etc - it just doesn't feel right to me, so I'm staying out.

Also if you decide to buy together at least then you will have an equal say on the location. Years down the line if you are only paying rent you will have sod all if you split up.

Really bad idea to pay rent to a boyfriend. In a few years time he can kick you out without any notice and the money you've contributed towards his mortgage will be gone.

Either buy together or, at the very least, draw up an agreement setting out how your contributions are to be treated in the event you split. A solicitor can help you with a co-habitation agreement but even if you do it yourself that's better than nothing.

Me and my now DH did this but the other way round. I was buying and we'd been together 2 years. I had a rental property that it was time to sell and we wanted to move in together, so it made sense for me to buy rather than us rent.
At the time he was on a much lower wage than me (working as a TA with a view to applying for PGCE), but we both felt like it was a long term thing, so we combined finances on moving in. Both wages (mine twice his) went into a joint account where all bills and mtg went out, then we both got the same spends.
It worked for him because he got a bargain basically, and worked for me because it was my house and my investment.
Three years later he was working as a teacher and our wages were the same, so I added him on the mtg. We had a solicitors agreement drawn up confirming that the equity in the properly was mine (I'd put down a bit deposit) and if we split, then the difference would be split equally.
Now we're married it's all equal anyway!

I think you're in a tricky situation and you really need to ask him what he's expecting from you. Being as you could go in on the mtg, it's just that you're not sure about the relationship, it's your choice to be a tenant rather than joint owner isn't it? And anything you don't pay he'll have to make up. I agree with the poster that said maybe you should decide what you want from the relationship and examine why you feel so uneasy about buying together.