JohnLH

Hi, in many countries around the world there are some dangerous laws regarding inviting someone to live with you, for example:
Australia: If your girlfriend lives with you for a certain length then she's entitled to things similar to if you had been married.
Sweden: If you move into a house with a girl she now owns half of it, even if you paid 100% of it and she wasn't your wife.

I'm wondering, does NZ have any similar laws?

BEVS

Yes. We have laws here.

Have a read HERE

JohnLH

Thanks for the info, exactly what I was looking for!

chc4me

Nearly fell off my chair laughing at "Accidental Marriage"!

Bev has provided a link to an excellent guide on Relationship Property laws - good work Bev

Justcol

Wow, I bet the girls are falling over themselves to be with a sincere guy like you

A Rush And A Push

My first thought on reading the OP was wow, he sounds like a catch. I thought it would be mean to post it. But now I have.

jmh

To be fair, it's good to be aware of this. I know a woman who lost her home due to relationship property. In hindsight she probably should have seen it coming but she was in LOVE. He walked off with half of the $500,000 house she owned when they met. You can sign an agreement identifying separate property when you first move in together. It's worth reading up on it.

SSky

Yes someone I know owned her own home and cars etc and 'fell in love' ... she lost quite a lot when they broke up. Looking from the outside in you could see it coming but obviously she wasn't going to listen to any of that.
'They' say 'in love' only actually lasts for about 18 months don't they, it's just a crazy chemical imbalance.

MrsFychan

If the "partner" has contributed to the upkeep and day to day running of the home I do not see why they should not get anything out of it. I know a friend of mine in the UK moved into her partners house, she had to keep all receipts for payments of groceries, bills and other stuff related to the house to prove she was contributing to the upkeep and day to day running, just in case things went wrong and she was left homeless.
As others have stated either get it in writing that the house remains yours and the partner has no legal right to it and make them pay rent, officially then no one is in any doubt as to who has the right to what.

JohnLH

Indeed, I know many who are heavy addicts on suicide-watch because they lost everything because they had no idea about such laws (i'm not talking about NZ here).

bourbon-biscuit

It is surely illegal for the OP to live with a girl. I suggest he sticks to adults, be they men or women.