Whether you already live with your partner, or you are planning on living together, you may have some questions on how you will run your home together or what might happen should you later split up.
- What happens if we split up?
- Where do the children live?
- Who would get to keep the dog/car/washing machine/house?
- How do we protect our deposits?
- Who is going to pay the mortgage/bills?
With cohabiting couples becoming the fastest growing family type it is important cohabitees (people living together who are unmarried) are aware that the law doesn’t recognise cohabitation in the same way as marriage or civil partnership.
If you are living together with a partner, or you are planning on living together it may come as surprise that you have very little protection should you break up. It doesn’t matter if you have lived together for 1 month or 10 years or if you do or don’t have children together. Cohabitees are not legally recognised as a couple.
You may have already reached a verbal agreement on who may take a career break to look after the children or that one of you may pay the mortgage whilst the other pays the bills. But without having a written agreement in place there may be very little protection for you should you break up.
Have you considered a Cohabitation Agreement?
A cohabitation agreement can record a variety of aspects of your life. Such as how you will each own your existing assets (including property, cars, savings), what your financial responsibilities will be towards each other and/or the property whilst you are cohabiting and how savings, jointly owned assets and even property will be distributed should you later split up.
A cohabitation agreement is a written, signed legal document, enforceable by the court if it is properly executed and providing you have both been honest about your finances and each obtained separate legal advice upon its terms.
We can help
The Family Team at Ringrose Law will provide straightforward advice and help you make the right decisions when it comes to drafting your cohabitation agreement. If you are planning to live with your partner but are not married, seeking advice from our Family Law experts is incredibly important to ensure that you avoid any disputes in the future and that both you and your partner are aware of what is expected of you.
We can work alongside you to tailor a cohabitation agreement to your requirements, considering various factors concerning your finances – both now and in the future.
If you wish to discuss a cohabitation agreement with our family team please contact your nearest Ringrose Law Office in Boston, Grantham, Newark, Lincoln & Sleaford or email