"Major Red Flag" — Woman's Boyfriend Asks to Be Put on House Title After Moving In
Updated May 28 2023, 7:30 p.m. ET
Moving in with a significant other is a really big step - it signifies that you're comfortable enough to let someone into every aspect of your life, effectively "giving up" your personal space and alone time. It goes further than that, however: that special someone is going to be privy to your less "glamorous" or "prepared" moments.
Do you brush your teeth like an animal with foam going all over the place? They'll see that. Maybe you spend too much time on the toilet scrolling through social media? They'll know that about you too, or the fact that you'll sometimes pound six ice cream bars while cracking up at the same Tim and Eric sketch over and over again — that secret is officially out.
And then there's the question of finances like splitting a rent/mortgage with your significant other. A lot's been written about the relationship-ruining implications money disputes can have on couples. And when it comes to divvying up finances when it comes to housing, there's almost always going to be someone who feels like they're getting shafted.
And that's at the heart of this debate in a now-viral TikTok posted by Erika Strong Rodri (@erikastrongrodri).
Erika is a realtor and she's relaying a story (although we don't know if it's her own or one told to her by a client) about a woman who owns a home and was asked by her recently-moved-in-boyfriend to be put on the title.
Obviously, there are massive financial implications associated with a move like this: if the home is ever sold then that legally entitles her boyfriend to receive half of the property. And if there's a default on the mortgage, then the title-holders involved will take a hit to their credit and lose equity from the house.
The housing crisis in America is one that only seems to be worsening, with investment firms like Black Rock buying up affordable housing and then listing them for exponentially high prices, and house-searching applications like Zillow getting in on the action, the American Dream of having one's own place to hang their hat up and call their own is an outcome that is looking less and less attainable for many.
The TikTok caused a stir in the comments section, with many folks urging the woman to break up with her boyfriend for even asking to be on the title.
There were others who suggested that the woman have the home refinanced, with the boyfriend putting up half of what the house's listing value is in equity under his own name and credit score; that just being added to the title "for free" wouldn't cut it.
Others indicated that a conversation about shared homeownership should only take place if the two individuals in question were legally married.
However, there were some commenters who relayed their own stories who said that they were living in a home and their significant other is the legal owner of the house and it doesn't bother them at all.
What do you think? Is it strange and a bit opportunistic of the woman's boyfriend to ask to be put on the title of a home that she legally owns? Or is there more to the story with regards to finances that needs to be relayed in the TikTok? Or since they're together and he's living in the home and presumably fronting the cost of some of the bills/expenses, that he should be added to the title?