I was reading through a thread on AIBU about the differences between marriage and co-habiting, and someone posted this link. I have a question and was just wondering if anyone had any thoughts on it.
My DP and I cohabit. We're not planning on breaking up (as far as I know!) so this is just theoretical and out of interest.
Money and possessions: Living together
The ownership of possessions can be quite complicated. However, there are some general rules which apply, for example, property you owned before you started cohabiting remains yours and the person who bought an item generally owns it. It will be owned jointly if bought from a joint account. Property given by one partner to the other belongs to the receiver of the gift. However, this can be difficult to prove.
DP and I have our salaries paid into our own current accounts, then we transfer money each month into a joint account. Not an equal amount; I work part time and also DP earns more than me.
We spend very little on the joint account but it is used for paying direct debits; ie bills, the mortgage etc. Most of our spending is done on a Tesco credit card, then cleared in full each month. This is to gain clubcard vouchers, not because we have issues with money. The credit card is in my name but he has an additional card. You can't have joint credit accounts.
So, my question is, if we were to break up, would everything bought on the credit card actually belong to me, since the card's in my name? Even if the card is paid off by a joint account which we both contribute towards?