Partner moving into property I own

[motheroreily]

My partner is going to move into my property. He currently rents and I have a mortgage. My mortgage is approximately half the cost of renting a similar property in the same town.

I was thinking of splitting all bills 50/50. I'll pay for any maintenance and improvements to the property. But then I'm not sure what to do about the mortgage. Part of me thinks it's not fair for him to pay towards my mortgage but I also think he's paying someone else's mortgage at the moment. I thought about working out how much interest I pay and splitting that instead.

Obviously I do love him and I hope we stay together and think we will. But I'm just trying to protect myself and be fair too.

He should pay you rent, to reflect the benefit he gets living there. Obviously not market rate but say 200/300 pounds per month

I had the same situation with one of my exes. He paid half of everything (mortgage and bills). However, that benefited him too as it was less than his previous rent in a manky house share but he got to live in a nice flat with me.

If half of everything adds up to a lot, then I’d agree a lower contribution so that’s both of you are better off.

On threads where a woman is moving in with a man they are regularly told on here not to be paying towards a man's mortgage and should be putting that money on one side for their own security. I think the same applies here (though I would imagine you'll probably be told that he should pay part of your mortgage otherwise he's a cocklodger).

All bills should be split 50/50 and all household renovation should be your responsibility.

I would just ask him to pay half the mortgage and half the bills; he’d be paying rent if he wasn’t living with you so it’s not like you’re taking advantage.
The only kind of exemption id consider is if your mortgage is significantly more than he’d be paying to rent his own place so if he’s used to renting a 1 bed place and you live in a 5 bed place then maybe ask him for what he was paying in rent before.

Is there a difference in your respective incomes? Remember he will have no security as a person living in your house so unless he has a much larger income or considerable savings he should consider that as part of the conversation.

Just to add I lived in my now DHs flat and paid half of everything but we did decide on things like decorating and furniture together so it was made to feel like my home and I felt like I got the benefits of living in our own place without the responsibility of a mortgage

I would certainly phrase it as rent rather than a contribution to your mortgage and he is a lodger. He should pay half the bills (utilities, council tax, groceries) and something fair that you describe as rent. This could be half your mortgage or more than that or less than that. You need to as you say, cover all maintenance costs. Bear in mind you will lose your single person council tax discount (assuming you live alone) so it wouldn't be fair for him to pay nothing but personally I would be happy with a modest sum. I wouldn't charge him at the market rate.

I think the same applies here (though I would imagine you'll probably be told that he should pay part of your mortgage otherwise he's a cocklodger).

I think the advice depends on whether you’re 27, childless and likely to get married/get a mortgage together after a year or 2 of cohabitation. It’s different when people already have children from other relationships, no intention of shared finances in the future etc.

If, for whatever reason, you split up - if he can demonstrate that he was paying towards the mortgage, then he can claim to have an "interest in the property". This recently happened to a friend of mine who had been co-habiting, and they got taken to the cleaners.

Do please be very careful about any financial arrangement, and if I were you I would set it out in writing before he moves into your house.

Please take professional advice before you make the step of him moving in.

And congratulations on being an independent woman with your own place. That is worth more than gold.

I think you need to be careful if he contributes to a mortgage (and/or improvements to the home), it can be legally seen as gaining a beneficial interest in the property. I'm not sure exactly how that works but it might be worth getting some legal advice on it.

I'd maybe ask him to pay half of bills and all of the food shopping (assuming you don't spend £££ on food!) and maybe he can pay for more meals out/holidays etc.

I think the advice depends on whether you’re 27, childless and likely to get married/get a mortgage together after a year or 2 of cohabitation. It’s different when people already have children from other relationships, no intention of shared finances in the future etc.
I would agree with you, but the vast majority of the time female posters are told not to pay a man's mortgage whilst also being told they're right to expect a male partner to chip into theirs.

Personally, if a long term cohabiting couple had both partners paying the mortgage then both people should have a named interest in the property (amount decided based on who paid what).

Too many people, usually women, find themselves paying a man's mortgage without being on the deeds or having access to the asset they are partially funding and in the event of a split the man has a valuable asset and the woman has nothing with her money tied into his house. Same is true if the sexes are reversed.

If it's a new relationship and they're just moving in then in my opinion it's best neither party pays the other's mortgage but covers their share of bills.

When my DH moved in with me we agreed he’d pay half the bills, food and general stuff. I didn’t ask him to contribute towards my mortgage or pay me “rent” to put towards it. I was quite lucky my monthly payments were relatively small so I didn’t need it but As we were planning to buy together we agreed he’d save the amount (less bills) he would have been paying in rent in his old place towards the deposit.

As it was my solo own Property and I didn’t intend for him to be on the mortgage of it I didn’t want him to pay towards it for security but also it’s not fair

I agree with PP too if a woman was asking this she’s be told not to pay rent towards a mortgage / house she’s not going to have any part of / stake in. There’s a thread running at the moment where everyone is outraged the OP pays “rent” to her fiancé in a house she doesn’t have a claim on

Thank it is really interesting to read different opinions.

I have a bigger place and my mortgage is less than his rent. At the moment I earn about £5k a year more but his pay should increase quickly. He hopes to save about £500 a month living here. At some point we may buy somewhere together but as we haven't lived together before this isn't something we're thinking about yet.

He has offered to pay half the mortgage
But I'm not sure. I had thought half all bills and I'll pay for repairs and maintenance etc but wasn't sure about half the mortgage or half the monthly interest or nothing at all. I hadn't thought about the issue of paying towards someone else's mortgage as when I rented that's what I was doing. But I can see it's different if you're in a relationship.

Before you do anything, please see a solicitor who can advise you how to proceed. You need to have a written contract specifically stating that your partner has no claim to your property by him paying rent, utilities, etc.

Don't put yourself in financial risk for anyone, even him.

Well, if you’re ok with him contributing only to the bills then I’m sure he’ll be very happy too.

You need professional legal advice.