texas common law and real estate

What is the name of your state? texas

my fiance & i purchased a house after living side by side in apts for 5 yrs. He stated that he could get a better interest rate alone than if i was added to the contract. i was all for saving money. I used all my savings for down payment & to make repairs to the house after purchase. 4 yrs have past & this common law arrangement may not work out. He has represented me as his wife & my son as his son to others. My car & our car insurance is together. He told the insurance agent that we were common law. I have made all the house(some doubled) & utility payments for the last four years. This all being said, do I have any claim to the house since my name is not on the contract or have I just been renting?? Thx for any advise you may have.

I hope this helps I found this on the web

Are My Girlfriend And I Considered Married Under Common Law If We Have Been Living Together For Five Years?

Common-law marriage, also known as "informal marriage" is legal in Texas, as is marriage by ceremony. A couple may choose whether or not to register their informal marriage. If they do choose to register, both the husband and wife must appear before the County Clerk to file a Declaration of Informal Marriage. The couple must list the date on the declaration from which they have considered themselves married. In other words, a couple can be married for some period of time before registering their informal marriage.

There are two ways a couple may prove that they are informally married:

They can file a Declaration of Informal Marriage; or
They Meet all of the following conditions:
the couple agrees that they are married,
they live together in Texas, and
they represent themselves or "hold out" to other individuals that they are married to one another
If the couple should split up and one of the individuals wishes to prove in a proceeding that the common-law marriage had occured, she or he must start the determination process before the second anniversary of the date on which the couple separated and ceased living together. Otherwise, it is rebuttably presumed that the individuals did not agree to being married. [FC 2.401]


Here is the link

[url]http://www.tdh.state.tx.us/bvs/registra/marriage.htm[/url]

I'm presuming common law is not at issue here as it was stated that the common law does exist.

More at issue is the dissolution and property rights? If so, you might want to repost the issue on the real estate board. I don't believe the regular real estate folk ever wander over to the family area (this board).