Cohabitation

Many people mistakenly believe that simply living together can give you the same rights as marriage. Many believe that "common law marriage" is a recognised legal status, that is wrong.

Many people mistakenly believe that by having a child together they acquire legal rights that is also wrong.

Only married couples or same sex couples who enter into a civil partnership will acquire legal rights.

We often don't check our rights because it seems unromantic and untrusting to do so but if the relationship unfortunately breaks down, not doing so can leave you vulnerable and the outcome of any asset distribution unjust.

So by addressing the issues at the beginning and regularly reviewing the assets may put the family on a more secure footing.

Cohabitation agreements are common and a good way of recording the proposals and protecting interests.

The articles on legal topics published in these pages are for interest only and are necessarily general in their terms. You should not act (or refrain from acting) on the basis of the information given without specific advice, as the principles and laws concerned may change, and their application will vary according to the particular circumstances.