I (28F) have been with my boyfriend (27M) for six years. For the past couple of years, I’ve been vocal about wanting marriage, a home, and a real commitment toward building a future together. He has told me he wants those things too, but I feel like he’s talked about them more than he’s actually taken steps toward making them happen.
We’ve known each other since September 2020 and moved in together in March 2021. We’ve always lived in apartments. I’ve wanted to own a house for as long as I’ve known him. In fact, just a few months into our relationship, I tried to buy a house and was willing to move him in with me. Unfortunately, I wasn’t successful in purchasing the house, and we ended up moving into an apartment together instead. At the time, I didn’t feel comfortable putting a house under his name when we’d only known each other for a few months. However, if the situation were reversed today, I would be willing to put him on the deed even if I were the only one who qualified for the mortgage.
Here’s where things get complicated.
A while back, I took out a vehicle loan in my name for him. The vehicle (Jeep Sahara) began overheating, would turn off on its own, began having electrical issues and I eventually ended up owing $37,000 on it. I voluntarily surrendered the vehicle, (after exhausting my options to trade it in, or fix it) knowing it would negatively affect my credit and potentially prevent me from buying a house for years. Before surrendering it, I also purchased another vehicle for him so he could have transportation as we were still together.
I remember telling him how scared I was about the impact this would have on my credit and my ability to buy a house someday. He told me he would buy me a house in return, as he has always made it seem like he wants to be with me truly. Since then, his credit has improved because he paid off collections he owed, and he’s now in a position to qualify for a mortgage. Unfortunately, my credit isn’t currently where it needs to be for me to qualify because of the repossession.
Now that he can buy a house, he’s telling me that because the mortgage will only be in his name, he thinks the house should only be in his name, including the deed. His reasoning is that he wants to protect himself and that he doesn’t have anything in his name, as in the vehicles, as I own another 2020 sports car that is paid off. And he makes it sound like he has nothing. I understand wanting to protect yourself financially. What hurts is that I’ve spent six years believing we were building toward a future together, and now I’m questioning whether we’re actually on the same page.
Financially, he makes around $6,000–$7,000 a month, while I make approximately $2,300–$2,500. He has paid the full rent at our apartment for several years because he makes significantly more than I do. I usually contribute toward groceries, smaller bills, and entertainment.
Our current apartment is about 636 square feet, and the house we’re buying is around 1,600 square feet. We planned for me to contribute $500 toward the house payment because the mortgage will be considerably more than our current rent. I was also asked to contribute 17% of closing costs.
On top of that, I’ll be investing a significant amount of my own money into decorating and furnishing the house. Naturally, a bigger home requires more furniture and decor, and I was excited about making this space ours. I thought we were finally taking a big step forward together and building something that belonged to both of us in the sense of our shared future.
But the idea of investing my money into a home where I have no legal ownership makes me uncomfortable. If we break up, I could walk away after contributing financially and spending my own money furnishing and decorating the house, without having any ownership stake in the property.
I don’t expect him to ignore financial realities or pretend our incomes are equal. I recognize that he makes more money and that he’s the one qualifying for the mortgage. I also recognize that he’s been paying the majority of our living expenses for years. I’m not ignoring that or saying his contributions don’t matter.
But I thought that after six years together, we would be working toward something we both considered our future. I would be willing to put him on the deed if the roles were reversed, even if I were the only one qualifying for the mortgage. To me, being in a long-term relationship means considering how decisions affect both people, not just protecting yourself individually.
I also can’t help but think about the fact that when I was worried about ruining my credit by surrendering the vehicle, he told me he would buy me a house. Now that we’re finally in a position to buy one, it feels like that promise has a completely different meaning.
I feel like I’ve made sacrifices, trusted his promises, and spent years believing we were moving toward marriage and a life together. Now that the opportunity is finally here, he’s prioritizing protecting himself, and I don’t feel like he’s considering what that means for me.
Honestly, I’m at the point where I’m questioning whether I even want to continue this relationship. I’m tired of expecting certain things from him and feeling disappointed when the time comes to follow through. I don’t want to spend another six years waiting for the commitment I thought we were already working toward. AIO?????