How much should partner pay to live in my house?

[Maved]

I own my house mortgage- free and my partner rents his house out to live with me. He pays half of all our bills. My friend says this is not enough and that he should put half his rental income into our joint account as well. What do people think? If he should pay more, how do I ask after this arrangement has been in place for 18 months?

(He earns more than me.)

Why should he contribute to a cost that doesn't exist? If you are mortgage free it would be like charging him rent as a lodger! Have you talked about having shared finances? Do you think he should be giving you his money because he earns more than you?

I agree with pp. If he gave you cash he'd be renting a room so a lodger wouldn't he? If he put half of his rental income into your account would you put him on the deeds to your house? Have you discussed merging your finances? I'd just leave it be tbh.

I'd check with a solicitor. You don't want him to claim that he has a right to the house unless you're going to own everything jointly.

There does seem to be a point in time when joint finances happen but this varies per couple. We did it after we'd been married a while but before kids. Some never do.

DP lives in my mortgaged house. It costs very little more to run the house with him here, so he doesn't pay rent or utility bills.
But he pays for everything outside the house - shopping, meals out, concerts, holidays etc.
It works for us.

If your partner were a friend or acquaintance, you would probably charge him/her rent. So the question is, do you subsidize your partner's cost of living by providing free housing for him, just because you happen to have paid-for housing. That is your decision.

The partner is not having to live in his house as he is living in the OP's house. Therefore he is making money from this current living situation. So yes - I do think that he should share a percentage of the income from this property. It is not as a lodger - it is simply that it would be the right thing to do.

As you say this is something that has been going on 18 months and I guess you've been happy with the arrangement until recently, so it's a hard one. Yes, he's making money but then you are probably saving a bit on your utilities.

Before we married my DH moved in with me and rented his flat. We knew we'd marry at some stage, so actually everything all went into one account (both incomes and rent from his flat) and all the bills and my mortgage were paid from that. We knew we were working towards a future together and everything whether it was income or bills were shared - that wouldn't be right for everyone though.

I was interested to read this and gauge opinion. I've just got married and my Dh has been living in my house since December. I've been paying for everything for two and a half years - including his mortgage - as it's taken him some time to establish his business. I started dropping hints (yes, I'm a coward when it comes to all things money!) about how much things were costing me and he asked me to work out how much I'd like him to contribute to the household. I have a daughter who lives with us so have gone through all my outgoings, deducted the costs associated with my mortgage and car and divided everything else by 3. His "third" comes to £890 a month. Before I float this figure in front of him, is that a reasonable expectation do you think? Sorry OP for hijacking your post

I am now mortgage free but when I met my now dh he owned a flat/commercial let and had a lump sum from divorce I had a low mortgage. He gives me half the rent from the flat keeps the small commercial rent and we put the lump sum in btl in joint names. This took about four years to work out the kinks and caused both of us much worry and angst. I was very precious about 'my' house I worked my ass of for it and want to leave it eventually to my children not his so just putting all property in both names is not an option. Equally why should be get lots of lovely rental income when I still work and provide him with free housing. If my dh lived in his flat he would lose the rental income so we view that income as a perk of living together and split it.

Franckies yes that is reasonable and pretty much what we did at first, my husband didn't pay anything at first started paying for first his food then his and his kids then more for bills and eventually I said about the rent but I wish we had just sat down and worked it all out. I did get a co habitation agreement drawn up which I asked him to sign cost me about £200 but the solicitors advice and reassurance was fantastic worth double that.

I think you should do what you want and don't worry about what your mate says.

I moved into my partner's house. We each pay half the bills, mortgage, insurance, food etc.

Anything for the DC (shoes, clothes, school trips, childcare etc) I buy. Same for my toiletries, clothes etc.

He pays for most of our fun as he earns 4x what I do, although I contribute what I can.

This may have to change as at the moment we are getting tax credits towards the childcare etc but I don't think we are eligible anymore due to an increase in his earnings. We've discussed it and he is happy for this to become a shared expense.