NEED TO KNOW
- A woman is debating whether or not to add her boyfriend of five years to the mortgage agreement on the home she owns
- She shared on Mumsnet that he has not “made a significant contribution” to the house financially up to this point
- She also admitted that she and her boyfriend “had a turbulent first few years,” but said things have “mellowed” since then
A woman is asking strangers for advice on whether she should or shouldn’t add her boyfriend to the mortgage agreement on her home.
The woman detailed her story on the community site Mumsnet, where she explained that she and her partner “got together during COVID” and “moved in very quickly because of lockdowns.”
She noted that she owns the house, and he was renting a room at the time, so it “made sense” for him to move in. She also said that her partner hasn’t ever “had the funds to pay a large contribution” to household expenses.
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The original poster (OP) also said that she and her boyfriend “had a turbulent first few years,” but says things have “mellowed” since then.
She added that while she does her “best” to make her boyfriend feel at home, she knows that it’s still her house “at the end of the day.”
The woman asked her fellow community members if they think she should “be adding him to the mortgage at this point” — while also noting that she would “absolutely” get a lawyer to help her draw up an agreement should she decide to pursue this route.
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“To be honest I don’t even know what percentage he would own if he’s not made a significant contribution, but I can worry about that later,” she concluded.
The vast majority of Mumsnet users advised her to steer clear of adding her partner to any official financial documents.
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“No way,” replied one person. “You need to protect yourself and make sure if you ever break up he can make no claim.”
“If you have to ask the question, then the answer is no,” another said.
A third person said, “Absolutely not. You were the one who saved for the deposit and paid the mortgage long before he came along. He was renting a room so obviously wasn’t either financially able or minded to save as you did. If you transfer a percentage of the house to him and then you split, what happens? You will have to buy him out!”
