My boyfreind is going to move in with me. I want to make a written agreement to make sure he pays me half of the monthly bills. What do i have to do make this written aggreement?
Write a list of what the two of you want his obligations to be and what the two of you want your obligations to be, concerning money, bills, maintenance, etc. Don't mention any personal obligations - keep it businesslike. Add a sentence saying that this document contains all of our agreements and understandings concerning the subjects discussed in the document and that the agreement cannot be changed except in writing. Discuss it and make whatever changes you both agree on. If you reach the point where everything is agreed, write it into a finished version. Use plain English and focus on making the obligations clear and easy to understand. Make two copies. Each of you sign and date both copies. Each of you should take one of the originals and put it in a safe place.
You can increase the chances that the agreement will be enforceable by taking the final agreement to an attorney and pay for an hour's time. The attorney will review the agreement and advise on any changes that the attorney recommends. You can improve the contract further by taking your draft to an attorney for drafting into a formal contract.
If you don't go to an attorney for either a review or for drafting, the document you drafted yourself might be every bit as good. I can't tell for sure, obviously, without seeing the document. But I can tell you that an agreement which contains a clear, plain English description of what the parties want, signed and dated, has a good chance of being as enforcable as a professionally drafted version.
