Hi Mabs.

I’ve been with my boyfriend for three years, and we have a baby together. I lost my job during maternity leave, a year ago. When we met, I had finished paying off my home and was more than halfway through paying off my car. He moved into my home rent-free and has been helping to pay off the car, which we both use equally since he doesn’t have his own. We will finish paying off the car by the end of this year. He suggested adding his name to my home’s title deed, which I refused. Now, he wants equal ownership of the car once it’s paid off. I’m against this because he lives rent-free and has only partially contributed to the car repayments. What are my rights in this situation?

Mabs Answers

I’m sorry to hear about the challenges you’ve been facing and hope you recover soon. You seem to have a good financial sense and have made great investment moves. Congratulations on that.

Without hearing his side of the story, it seems you and your boyfriend are out of sync on money matters, which often causes friction in relationships. I suggest having open conversations about money management and responsibilities to clarify expectations. It may be wise to engage a financial advisor to mediate, as these discussions can become emotional and lead to misunderstandings.

Regarding your question, when you take a loan to purchase a car, you enter a contract with the financier, agreeing that they own the car until you finish paying it off. Until you make the final payment, the car belongs to the financier. This means that even if you agreed with your boyfriend to include him as an equal owner, you cannot do so until the loan is fully paid off.

I might be biased, but it seems strange that your boyfriend wants access to your assets, first the house and now your car. However, he might feel he can’t acquire his own assets while helping you pay off yours and needs some form of security. As far as I know, there’s no law forcing or prohibiting co-ownership with him; the decision is entirely yours once the loan is paid off. For the sake of your relationship, set up an appointment with a financial advisor to discuss this before it leads to resentment. All the best.