Cohabiting couples, living together, are ever more common place with more than one in five being unmarried. The cold hard truth, though, is that no such legislation exists in the UK and in the event of a separation, you may find it almost impossible to make a financial claim against your former partner.
Already a difficult time emotionally, the practicalities of splitting your assets – particularly your house – without a specific, prior agreement in place can result in added heartache and even greater expense.
Cohabitation agreement
Our advice? Any couple who are buying a home together need to consider a cohabitation agreement. Our lawyers can help draft a document that will clearly set out what will happen to your home in the event of separation and who is responsible for paying the bills and maintaining the property.
A growing issue
Statistics show that unmarried couples living together are the fastest growing family type in the UK, with many choosing to get married later in life, or not at all.
As a member of Resolution, Sally Harris is committed to raising awareness to protect cohabiting couples and ensure they are able to take measures to protect themselves. Working closely with other teams, we post article updates relating to Cohabitation and Frequently asked questions.
- Cohabitee Awareness Week 2019 – There is no such thing as a common law marriage
- Cohabiting Couples – do you need to make a Will?
- Are you in a unmarried relationship and want to safeguard your assets and/or protect your children?
- Q. What does “common law marriage” mean and is it legally valid?
- Q. How do the rights of married and unmarried couples differ?
- Q. What is a Cohabitation Agreement and what are the benefits of unmarried couples having one?
How can the Family Law Team help you?
We suggest cohabiting couples, living together, who have no plans in the future to marry take legal advice with regard to your financial position in the unfortunate event that your relationship breaks down. A specialist family lawyer will be able to advise you how to protect yourself and your family for the future, please contact Sally Harris or Sally Briggs in the Steeles Law family team who will be happy to help you via email using family@steeleslaw.co.uk or by calling 01603 598000.
