<prompt> Human: Throwaway here, since the boyfriend is also a redditor.My boyfriend and I have been dating for 3 years, and living together in the house that he owns for the past 1 12. To contribute, I pay him a monthly rent to help out with his mortgage and other bills. Its a very low amount compared to what most people in my area pay in living expenses, so as a result, Ive saved up a fair bit of money. Assuming all continues to go well, we plan to purchase a house together in the next couple years, as the one were living in currently is a starter house in a not-so-great neighbourhood, and we can both easily afford a better place. My problem is that although my partner makes a bit more money than me, I will almost certainly be able to pay a far higher amount as a down payment on a house due to all the saving Ive been doing while living with him. Im happy to do this, as Id like to keep our mortgage payments as affordable as possible, however my concern is that if our relationship turned sour shortly after purchasing the house and we split up, would I have any hope in getting my higher percentage contributed to the house back? Is there any way that I can protect myself in the event that this should happen, or should I just insist on us contributing equally to the home and suck up the higher mortgage payments? If youve been in a similar situation or have any input, please share!TL;DR: Boyfriend and I will be purchasing a house. In the event of a break-up, can I be sure that my greater investment in it would be credited to me?EDIT: Poor word choice on my part by using the term partner interchangeably with boyfriend, as Ive led a few of you to believe that we are a same sex couple and perhaps are unable to marry. Im a female, and were in a heterosexual relationship, just to clarify for everyone! Marriage is probably in the cards for us at some point, but it will likely work out better for us to buy a home together before getting married.  <response>: the only people i know that have done this successfully involved lawyers. to be perfectly frank, youd have to be a fucking moron to do it any other way. if you break up, you need to know what will happen with the house. the only way to do this is to contemplate and memorialize that now. 