Cohabitation, or "Living Together" Agreements

When a marriage breaks down everyone knows that they can turn to well established legal principles which have been especially put in place to deal with the fall out. Issues such as "who gets what?" and "who pays what?" are regulated by a series of laws that have been introduced over the years to cope with the particular problems that arise when people divorce.

However the position for unmarried couples is entirely different. Even though more people every year are choosing to live together rather than get married the law has been very slow to catch up. The divorce laws only apply to married couples, which means that co-habitees facing a relationship break down will have to resolve matters according to general legal principles. If the parties can't reach an amicable agreement between themselves then the only recourse is to the law as governed by statute and precedent in the areas of contract, trusts and land.

Accordingly, it is always preferable for people who wish to live together to agree in advance how their financial and property affairs will be resolved should separation occur; however unlikely that may seem at the outset. We can give advice on the various things that should be included in a formal Living Together Agreement which will be binding on the couple should the unimaginable ever occur.