Man Praised for Asking Girlfriend to Pay Rent on House He Plans to Buy

A man has been praised online after he asked his girlfriend to pay rent on a house he plans to buy, despite her reservations.

In a viral Reddit post, shared on the Am I the A****** page, user Tastypoop13 said he and his girlfriend had been together for three years and always had a joint account to pay for groceries, rent and utilities.

The Reddit user, whose post was upvoted 3,500 times, said that he wanted to put his savings into a home and that "all of the money going into the house will be mine and none of it will be hers."

Millions of Americans strive to own their own home. The Pew Research Center said there were 82.8 million owner-occupied homes in the U.S. in 2020, according to estimates. The number of homeowners increased by an estimated 2.1 million in 2020, compared with the previous year.

The Reddit user and his partner have a disagreement because she doesn't think she should have to provide a monthly payment. He wrote, "She claimed that if we were to move in as a couple that she would not pay rent because she wouldn't be renting a place, she would be living in my house with me.

"I said that she would need to still pay half of the mortgage payments, but it would be no different to her paying rent to any other place we were living in, only at the end of the day, the house would completely be under my name."

U.K.-based property expert Jonathan Rolande told Newsweek: "To look at this coldly, we need to put any idea of romance to one side and think purely of the financial situation. Is it right that one person should support another simply because they are in a better financial position?

"Well, if you consider our tax system, then the answer is yes," he continued. "But does that mean it is fair for the property owner to cover household expenses and leave themselves worse off because of it, whilst their partner has their money to spend as they wish? I think not."

The man in the post later said he would be able to make payments without his girlfriend's assistance and would pay for upkeep of the home.

But Rolande said that both partners "are in the wrong" and that this case proves, in his view, they are not ready to live together.

He said, "The homeowner should be prepared to pay as much as possible towards the home but not have to because their partner willingly volunteers as much as they possibly can towards it.

"In other words, each party tries to do more than they are expected to under the law or perceived fairness because they are in a relationship with each other. What next, keeping a tally of the number of teas made and dividing the chore 50/50? Impossible.

"A relationship is about give-and-take in unseen and unspoken ways," Rolande said. "The fact that one side is asking this question and the other is resistant is a sign that either they are not right for each other or they are not ready to cohabit. The mistake was linking the request for money to the mortgage rather than simply discussing a fair contribution."

Despite Rolande's assessment of the situation, many Reddit users praised the man for asking his partner to pay rent while living with him.

One Reddit user, who got 6,200 upvotes, said: "NTA (not the a******). This is completely acceptable. You need to draw up an agreement though that makes her a tenant. Any upkeep, maintenance, upgrades, anything that adds equity is completely on you. Having a formal rental agreement protects both of you in case this doesn't work out long-term.

"It's no different than paying rent elsewhere. Just because you buy a house does not mean she gets to live for free. So, have a rental agreement drawn up or she doesn't live there if she won't pay rent," the user said.

Another Twitter user, with 1,100 upvotes, wrote: "I find it completely reasonable that she splits the mortgage as rent. Wouldn't you do this if you were renting together?

"Mortgages are often cheaper unless you got some wild dream home, so it's even more reasonable. But making a contract of agreement is a good idea to protect you both," the user said.

Newsweek has contacted Reddit user Tastypoop13 for comment.