Discussions

She is in a relationship with someone and living with them. She is wanting to know which is better renting or owning a house with this person ? Is there a way she make them pay for some of the housing/ cost of living? She wants to know how to go about it since she's not sure of the commitment of her partner. I know some of these answers are going to be mean but try and keep it more factual than an attack.

If she doesn't think it could be a long term relationship they are better off renting, or if she can financially afford a house on her own she could buy it herself and charge him rent or make him pay the household bills.....but she should be prepared to be able to cover all the costs on her own if they split up.  
 
Buying a house together is a big deal and can be difficult to split the asset in the event of a breakup. Either consisting of one person paying the other a large sum to cover their investment that they're moving out of or selling and splitting the profit.  
 
Personally I'd just rent, much easier to get out of quickly and I've been in that situation.

Unless this person helps pay the mortgage and pays part of the down payment, you friend should be looking at a "pre-nup" type of agreement in case of a breakup. If they are both splitting all costs, then no problem, but it still gets messy in case of a split.  
 
[i]Common law relationships end when the couple ceases to live together; however some rights and responsibilities may persist. When dealing with property during a cohabitation separation, each party is able to keep what belongs to them, as well as each party is responsible for their own debts. If there is an asset in both names, then the value of that asset is divided equally between each party, and the couple decides how to divide it. If the event results in an unfair division of the asset, then the partner should make a claim filing for unjust enrichment, in which if proven, the party who was unjustly enriched is required to make reasonable restitution of the asset. [/i]

RainaRo said "She is in a relationship with someone and living with them. She is wanting to know which is better renting or owning a house with this person ? Is there a way she make them pay for some of the housing/ cost of living? She wants to know how to go about it since she's not sure of the commitment of her partner. I know some of these answers are going to be mean but try and keep it more factual than an attack. "

Let me understand what you are saying.  
 
Your friend is in a relationship with someone, and not sure of the commitment level of her partner, and wants them to contribute to housing costs and wants to know if there is a way to make them pay?  
 
The second part of this question is whether renting or owning a house with this person better?  
 
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I broke it up this way so it is easier to understand your question.  
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The questions I would be asking your friend are the following:  
 
1. If you are currently renting, whose name is on the tenant agreement? Is it theirs? Is it hers? or do both persons have their names on the tenant agreement?  
 
Based on the answer to this....  
 
If one of the answers are: He is. But she is paying. Then she could simply walk away because it is his name on the tenant agreement and she should respect herself enough to not be a financial doormat.  
 
Or another answer is: She is. Then she could make a written/verbal request that he be a joint contributor and speak to the landlord to ensure that both names are on the leasing agreement, if the landlord is even aware of more than one person living in the home, and approves of this. If not, then you may find both of yourselves in violation of the original tenant agreement and evicted. However. If you want him to contribute then ask, and if he does not, but still chooses to live there, then ask for him to be removed as he is trespassing aka freeloading. Call police if necessary.  
 
Third answer: Both are on the tenant agreement.  
Depending on how long the two of them have been together, then it can either be seen as a roommate issue, or a common-law issue. From this point it may be wise to bring another person in to discuss the issue. If the other person still chooses to not contribute, write a written request to your landlord (see tenant offices for further assistance) to have yourself removed from the tenant agreement based on these circumstances, and say goodbye to this man.  
 
Further, expecting an instant relationship with anyone by moving in with someone is not healthy. Perhaps the man is choosing to not pay as a way to get the woman to move out on her own because of the lack of communication that already appears evident in this "relationship"  
 
Now for the second part:  
 
To rent or to Own.  
 
I need to ask you and your friend to review the above. Then I need to ask you and your friend to discuss what is a relationship, and what is not a relationship. If someone has not made a commitment to you, then why would you want to buy a house with someone who:  
 
1) Does not appear to want a relationship with your friend.  
2) Shows lack of financial responsibility  
and  
3) Is unable to communicate with your friend any of the above.  
 
I do hope you find an answer to your friend's housing issues. Good luck.

There is no problem in the relationship only that her partner can't afford to pay now. She wants to know when they become common law what she can do to protect herself if something happens .