pantherprr Posted April 12, 2004 Share Posted April 12, 2004 My boyfriend and i have been dating for 2 1/2 years. I have been married and divorced twice and he has been married and divorced 3 times. I have an 8 year old son and he has a 10 year old daughter. In this time we have gone through more than most people do when starting a relationship.. For the first year we lived 100 miles apart and we saw each other on the weekends. We have had to deal with ex's and children adjusting. A little over a year ago his daughter and he moved about 20 miles away from my son and I. We see each other as much as we can. We both have fulltime jobs and kids to take care of. We are currently looking to buy a house, which has added more stress to both of us for different reasons. There is no discussion of marriage because of our past history, eventhough as a woman i am more open to the idea. I don't know what my rights are as the girlfriend. I'm in Ohio and common law marriage is no longer in effect. so that rules that out. I talked to my boyfriend about putting my name on the deed He told me that he would be putting all the money down on the house and he would be responsible for most of the house payment. I advised him that if that is the only issue i would be happy to give him half of the down payment he said his pride would not allow him to take my money for that. I currently put both kids on the bus in the morning for school before i go to work which has been a major issue because we live in different school districts. I buy them clothes and spend my time with them while he is at work. When i am at his house I do everything a wife would do. I know that when and if we move in together I will be doing even more. Over all my boyfriend and i have a really good relationship. He is wonderful to me and my son. I love his daughter. In all aspects when we are together we are a family. I really don't know what to do with this house thing. I don't want to end up in my parents house if something goes wrong. If anything happens to him what are my rights. HELP!!! THANKS Link to post Share on other sites
EnigmaXOXO Posted April 12, 2004 Share Posted April 12, 2004 You can purchase and co-own property/real-estate together as an unmarried couple just as easily as you can when you are married. You can also split the property taxes down the middle and claim it as a deduction on your income tax even if you file separately. However, it will require that both of you sign for the loan, and both names be on the deed. In the event that you should split up, the property would be divided equally just as it would if you were married. Either one of you can renegotiate the loan and buy the other’s half out if you wish, but the title (or deed) would have to be switched back over to the other party’s name. You would also have the option of selling the property and splitting the value equally once the bank has been reimbursed for the money owed. You must also include the “right of survivorship” clause as part of your agreement. In the event that one of you should pass away, the property would be inherited by the survivor. If ‘his’ is the only name on the deed, than the house belongs to him and you would not be able to claim any right to it or its value should the two of you separate. Particularly in a state which does not recognize “common law marriages.” In essence, you would be doing little more than paying him rent. Get yourself a real-estate attorney who can explain everything to you and help you draft a fair agreement. My partner and I have already done this and it is a lot easier than most people think! Link to post Share on other sites
SoleMate Posted April 13, 2004 Share Posted April 13, 2004 If you want to get married, I don't recommend you settle for just living together. Especially since you will not be building any financial security for yourself, like equity in a house. If you are helping care for his children and spending money on them, and you're not married, you should be compensated. But better yet, if you want a long term, stable, mutually beneficial relationship with him, then suggest marriage. If he says no, I would love to hear his reasons. "History" doesn't sound like a good answer... Link to post Share on other sites
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