The most common way for a couple to hold title to a property is as Joint Tenants, which means they are equal owners and that if one partner passes away, the title passes to the other automatically. A disadvantage of joint tenancy for a relationship that may turn out to be (dare I say) less permanent, is that a joint tenant can sell or give her or his property interest to a new owner without permission of the other joint tenant, if they have not set up protection against it. It is also not ideal if the couple has different heirs who are accounted for in an existing will or estate plan.
Tenants in Common is another option for holding title where each party has a designated ownership interest and right to alienate, or transfer their share of ownership - which may or may not be 50/50. However regardless of title, a mortgage note dictates that two parties own a property jointly and severally - both are on the hook. So if the couple is buying together but not contributing equally to the purchase, they will want to have an outside purchase agreement between them to specify the details, more on this below.
