Can I add my partner or spouse to my mortgage?

Do I need to tell my mortgage company if my partner moves in?

Legally, you are under no obligation to inform your mortgage company that your partner has moved into your property. However, we recommend that you do speak to your mortgage adviser, especially if you’re married to the person who is moving in, as it’s always best to update your adviser on any changes to your circumstances.

What happens when I inform my mortgage lender?

Your mortgage adviser will be familiar with adding partners to mortgages. Your partner will need to undergo credit and affordability checks (in the same way that you had to) to make sure that they can also keep up with the repayments. 

Your current lender may charge you a fee for this service, and regardless of how well you currently keep up with repayments, they are under no obligation to add your partner if they don’t pass the checks.

If your lender does agree to add your partner onto your mortgage, you may need to hire a solicitor to provide legal advice. Your solicitor can help you decide how to divide up the ownership of the house.

Working out percentages of the ownership of the house will prove useful should you split up in the future and need to sell the property. You might be charged a fee by the solicitor for their help, so you should take this into account when making your decision.

What if my lender doesn’t want to add my partner to my mortgage?

Just because one lender won’t agree to add your partner to the mortgage, it doesn’t mean other lenders won’t. A mortgage adviser can check with their pool of lenders to see who would be willing to help. They can compare mortgage deals from over 90 different lenders, saving you the hassle and time of doing it yourself.

Adding your partner's name to your mortgage through remortgaging offers potential benefits like joint ownership and improved borrowing power. However, it will involve a whole new application, with joint credit checks and potentially higher interest rates if their credit score is lower. Weigh up the financial implications and legal considerations carefully before diving in.

What other options are out there?

If you’re not sold on the idea of adding your partner or spouse to your mortgage, or it just doesn’t feel like the right move for the time being, there’s nothing stopping you from still moving in together. 

Rather than adding them to the mortgage, it might be worthwhile asking them to contribute towards living expenses. This way, you will have extra money to cover the cost of bills, while leaving them no legal or monetary claims to your home, should you break up.

Remember, the decision to move in with your significant other, and how you intend to do it, is largely down to your personal preferences, and what makes you feel the most comfortable. If you’ve got questions or need more advice on your situation, get in touch with one of our expert advisers today.

What is the benefit of adding a partner to a mortgage?

There are several benefits of adding your partner to your mortgage. If you opt to remortgage, you could potentially borrow more money. This could be particularly useful if you want to make home improvements but need the funds to do so. On the other hand, the additional income could enable you to make overpayments, or lower the mortgage term and pay your mortgage off quicker. 

In essence, adding a partner to your mortgage gives you more options. However, simply having someone to share the cost of living with can make a big difference when you’ve been used to paying everything with one income.  

Use our borrowing calculator to see how much you might be able to borrow with a combined income.

What happens if you have a joint mortgage and split up?

If you’re married then the home is considered a joint asset and no one can be forced to leave. You have a few options on what to do going forwards. Making a decision will depend on your own individual circumstances and the relationship you now have with your ex-partner. 

Sell the house and split the proceeds

If both parties agree to sell the house (this is more commonly agreed if children aren’t involved), then you can sell the property, use the money to pay off the outstanding balance on the mortgage, then split whatever proceeds are left. 

Continue to pay the mortgage off 

If there isn’t a lot left to pay on your mortgage, you might both agree to continue to make the repayments until the mortgage is paid off, then sell the house and split the proceeds. 

Buy your partner out 

If you’re financially able to, and would like the property to remain in the family (this is often the case if children are involved), then you could consider buying your partner out. You’ll need to get in touch with your mortgage lender to have your partner’s name removed from the mortgage. They will need to check your finances to make sure you’re able to keep up with the repayments on your income alone. You can either decide informally between the two of you how much one will buy the other out for, or you can go down the formal route and appoint a solicitor. 

If you aren’t married, things are a little more complex. If you drew up a cohabitation agreement, this will outline the rights and obligations of both parties, who pays what, and how the property and contents should be divided, if you were to part ways. However, without any official agreement in place, a decision on who owns what share of the property can only be made on the basis of actual contributions made to the mortgage.