<prompt> Human: Interested in the details of how people did this. Did your SO pay market rent? Did you count that rent as them earning equity on the house?  <response>: So everybody operates differently in their relationships. Some guys want to be the supporting type and others want to teach their lady friends that they have to earn their keep and I am not just free rent.Here is what I did. I bought a house a few years before I met my now wife. We dated for a year and she moved in with me, I think she was paying 600-650mo for rent in her old apt, not counting utilities and food. When she moved in with me, I had her sign an agreement which basically stated that she would pay me 500mo rent and I would not kick her out on the street if we broke up. We would then save all the receipts from grocery shopping and divide that in half. She bought the food 90 of the time, so the difference was subtracted from rent usually about 150mo as my share towards the food. This accomplished 2 things, if we broke up I wouldnt feel as though I just room and boarded my gf for a year or two while she saved and I spent 100 - it was only fair. It also allowed me to save every dime that she gave me in my savings account because I had enough otherwise. When we got married, which I knew we would sooner than later, I took my savings account and combined it with hers. I then told her that every month she paid me rent I took the money and saved it, so she has herself to thank for the large amount we now have in savings. I like to think it made her feel like she was bringing a lot more financially into the marriage.The key is not to phrase it as rent phrase it as a structured savings plan for both of your futures. 