It has become increasingly common for couples to live together without getting married or entering into a civil partnership. Although there is popular hearsay that by living together you become common law partners which gives you similar rights as in marriage or a civil partnership, legally you have no rights. If a cohabiting couple split up the law offers no legal protection. If your relationship breaks down or your partner should die it is best to have thought about any problems before they occur.

Our family solicitors understand that marriage or civil partnerships are not for everyone and that choosing to live or start a family together is commitment enough. It is therefore very important to understand your rights as cohabitees.

If your relationship were to end then you may be able to make a claim: 

• for the family home - how the property is legally owned will be looked at
• for child maintenance - the Child Support Agency will decide if you are entitled to financial support. You may also be able to make a claim under the Children Act for extra financial support.

The legal principles when making a claim are very complicated, so the advice of an experienced family solicitor is key. We can help assess whether you have a claim and how good it is.

There are steps you can take which minimize any problems you may have should your relationship come to an end or one of you dies. Our solicitors can offer you advice about the best forms of legal protection for you and your partner.

Finding an agreement for your cohabitation

Our experienced family solicitors can help you to create a Cohabitation Agreement which will show what you would like to happen if your relationship were to come to an end. A cohabitation agreement is a contract which shows who owns what with regard to assets, finances, property, insurances and pensions. If you have children it is a good idea to state in the cohabitation agreement how you and your partner would like the arrangements to be if you were to split up.

We can help guide you to make the right decisions to protect your future should the worse happen.

Contact Us Now

For further information or to arrange an appointment contact a member of the team on 0115 9 100 200 or email family@actons.co.uk or fill in the contact form below.