What are my rights?
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What are my rights?
Me and my boyfriend have a house together. The house is contract for deed, the
deed is currently in the previous owners name until its paid off. Then it will be
in my boyfriends. What rights do i have to the house if he doesn’t work and
hasn’t paid barely anything on the house or bills, i have paid it. I have all
records of house payments, tax payments, insurance, etc. The relationship is
volatile and i want to know if i have any rights toward the home.
Asked on January 10, 2019 under Real Estate Law, Minnesota
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 5 years ago | Contributor
If you're not married and not on the deed, you have no rights to the home--make sure you get on the deed!
1) Anyone on the deed is an owner; owners have rights to the property (e.g. if there are two owners, they each have equal rights to use, occupy, etc. the home and are entitled to 50% of the equity).
2) Spouses, under matrimonial/family law, have rights to anything acquired during marraige, even if their name is not on the purchase.
But "girlfriend" is not a legal relationship; it conveys no rights. And paying for something, even a house, gives you no rights by itself, since you could be gifting the money, could be paying almost essentially as "rent" so you have some place to live, etc.--paying by itself doesn't prove ownership or establish rights. If you are not married and not on the deed, he can throw you out of the home; he could move a new girlfied in; he could rent it or part of it out and keep the rent for himself; he could sell the house and keep the proceeds; etc.
If you have money and are paying, you have leverage: use it make sure you get on the deed.
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