Do I owe any money to my former live-in girlfriend?
Question Details: We lived together for 4 years. Her name is nowhere on the deed to the house. We made improvements to the house. For a while for her this was in lieu of any rent. The deal was improvements and no rent. Soon I was paying for half the improvements and she started paying rent. We have split up as a couple. She has her own apartment. Now she is asking me for the money she put into the house as it adds value to it. Do I legally owe her any money?
Probably not, although she might have a claim against you for unjust enrichment. This is where one individual confers a benefit on the other one such that it would be unjust not to require the other one to compensate her for that benefit. More would need to be known such as how much she spent, how much it added to the home's value, how much the mortgage payments were, etc... If you two are amicable, it's probably best that you come to some agreement on what seems fair.
