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Should you keep a flat and become a landlord?

More of us are buying property together in later life, which throws up complications regarding prior housing wealth
April 30, 2024
  • There are a lot of decisions to make when buying a home with someone who already owns a property
  • Letting it out may seem like the easy option, but stamp duty costs mean there is a lot to consider

Moving in with a partner is an exciting prospect, but merging two lives can come with tough decisions: which books to keep, whose artwork gets centre stage, and even â€“ in an age when couples cohabitate at an older age â€“ whose house to live in.

Official statistics show that factors such as rising divorce rates and later-life relationships mean a growing number of the population are getting married or moving in with a partner already owning a property. There were 66,000 marriages in 2019 where at least one member of the couple was divorced, according to the Office for National Statistics, 17 per cent higher than in 1970.

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