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Agreement/Contract to protect me when I move in with my boyfriend.

I am moving in with my boyfriend. He was raised by his grandma, and lived in her home his entire life. When she died, the house was left as follows, one third to an uncle, one third to the second uncle and the final third is split between him and his two siblings. He pays the property taxes and homeowner's insurance. However, with my moving in I would like to have something in writing with his family. My biggest concern is that I would move in there, something would happen to him and his family would lay claim to everything I have as his! Not to mention, any money we start to put into the house to "fix it up" - floors, bathroom repairs, central air, etc. I would prefer to "buy them out" but right now, rent free is too easy! Any suggestions as to what would protect my interests?

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Attorney answers (1)

Reputation Level 8
Oh boy! Someone is actually interested in protecting their interest BEFORE disaster strikes. Kudos to you for thinking ahead and asking a really great question. The best advice at this time is YES you should hire an attorney. You and your boyfriend can choose from several options with respect to protecting YOU from his family. It's done all the time. A local attorney can put together a contract between the two of you, you can file a lien against the home if you put money into it, and most importantly, you can make a list of items that you have purchased that he wants to make sure are declared to be YOURS should anything happen to him. Of course, anything that would normally be deemed his (under state law) he can gift to you either while he is alive or through a will, trust, bank account, insurance policy, etc. etc. Be sure any gifts are done properly so they cannot be contested later. Again, paying $500 - $1,000 now in attorneys fees will safe you much more money and headaches later. Remember, it's ALWAYS cheaper to plan ahead than it is to defend against a lawsuit later without having that evidence you need to rebuff those who would like to divest you of your hard earned assets. Good luck and great question.

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