There's a lot of discussion in America about the definition of marriage and who should have the right to marry whom. There are alternative suggestions like making all marriages legal partnerships, and perhaps allowing the word marriage to exist only in churches which could set their own criteria. Of course, many folks live together with personal and individual understandings about their relationships.
...take your relationship with your domestic partner, Mr. Landlord. You honor and obey him by following his rules. He forbids you to have a dog or to paint the walls your favorite color, and you can't park the boat in the driveway. You always do what he says because you need a place to sleep. In turn, you share with him your income, and you promise to remain living in his house for a period of time, usually a year or more. When the term ends, you can renegotiate the partnership by offering to share a little more of your income with him. He expects that.
His end of the partnership allows him to deduct much of the cost of allowing you to live in his house from his taxes. Of the money you share with him, he gets to deduct property taxes and the interest on the home loan. While you are helping him pay down the home loan, he continues to own the place with the right to kick you out at the end of the agreed term, or if you misbehave before then. Aren't domestic partnerships wonderful?
Perhaps it's time for you to stop driving down this one way street and declare your independence from Mr. Landlord. Many of the benefits he has derived from your partnership could just as easily be yours. If you would like to explore the possibility of divorcing Mr. Landlord and taking back some of the freedom you gave up to him, now is the time to act. Call or email for help.
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