<prompt> Human: My boyfriend recently cosigned with me on an apartment to help me out, even though I would be paying for most of the apartment. Thing is, his dad told him after he signed that he didnt think that was a good idea. One of his reasons really confused me, though- according to my boyfriend, he had said that co-signing might show that he is already committed to something, so it might make it harder for him to get a loan.This really confuses me. I thought that if you pay rent on time, it actually shows commitment and responsibility, and helps your credit. Is there any truth to what he said? Im confused, because I really dont know much about finance stuff, and his dad seems like he would know better than me. Can anybody help me make sense of that comment?I will also say that this is coming from what my boyfriend said, and who knows? Maybe Im wording it differently. But if anybody can help me make sense of this comment, Id appreciate it! I really wouldnt want to make things harder for my boyfriend. I just feel bad its too late :Assistant: Co signing the lease means he has a financial commitment. The bank or lending institution would deduct the commitment from his income before calculating his ability to pay for another loan. So yes it could influence his ability to get a loan. Not too many landlords participate in credit checks so its unlikely the payment of the rent would help him build a credit rating.Human: Also, just to ask, would they take into account how much he actually pays? Im planning to pay the rent while he pays utilities, and it seems like a shame if he isnt even paying for most of the rent...  <response>: when a lending institution takes into account a persons outgoings they arent really concerned about how much they currently pay. they are only interested in how much they are liable to pay.What this means by way of an example is. say you have a credit card with a limit of 10,000 dollars, but you only ever use it to buy 500 dollars worth of goods. You could argue your only debt is 500. But the financier will correctly argue that your current spending habits are not what matters. It is entirely possible for you to go on a binge and max out your credit card to the 10,000 dollars. Therefore thats what they will use in their calculations.Now back to your situation. They will say as a cosigner he is liable for at least 50 of the cost of the rent and will therefore deduct that from his ability to pay back any future loan.They will do this irrespective of whether he actually helps you pay for the rent. Thats why they call it a liability.I hope that makes sense. 