Attitudes towards marriage are changing with many couples now choosing to cohabit before, or as an alternative, to marriage.

Moving in together is usually a joyous event in a relationship, but, understandably, few cohabiting couples consider what would happen if the relationship broke down.

For married couples and civil partners, family law sets out clear rules on the division of money, assets, and personal belongings upon divorce or dissolution. For cohabiting couples, there are no legal rights to each other’s property and the fair division of assets.

Therefore, when cohabiting couples break up, issues regarding the ownership of property and questions about how the finances are to be arranged can quickly arise, causing lengthy and stressful disputes which may end up in court.

At Hubbard Pegman & Whitney, our family law solicitors have specialist experience assisting and supporting clients through cohabitation disputes, including financial disagreements, disputes over property, arrangements and financial provision for children, and advice on inheritance and claims for financial provision.

As skilful negotiators, we are able to help a significant proportion of our clients resolve their cohabitation dispute out of court using non-combative methods of Alternative Dispute Resolution such as mediation.

If it does become necessary to go to court, we will arrange robust representation with the goal of getting your matter resolved as positively, efficiently, and cost-effectively as possible.

For further information about our cohabitation disputes services, or to arrange an initial consultation, get in touch with our family law solicitors in Hammersmith, London on 0208 735 9770 or by filling in our simple contact form.

Our family solicitors’ expertise

If you and your partner have chosen to part ways but are having difficulty untangling your lives, our highly skilled family solicitors can provide clear, sensitive advice on all cohabitation matters, including:

  • Disputes surrounding Cohabitation Agreements
  • Financial disputes
  • Property disputes and claims for beneficial ownership of property (for example, if the title to the family home is only in one of your names)
  • Financial provision for children
  • Arrangements for children, including main residence and making decisions about upbringing
  • Inheritance advice, including claims under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975

We can also provide advice to couples who are moving in together or already living together create cohabitation agreements, a legal document which sets out how finances and children matters are to be arranged should you break up.

Do unmarried couples have common law rights when splitting up?

Many couples move in together on the assumption that, after a certain period of time, usually 7 years, they will acquire “common law” marriage rights and become entitled to the fair division of money and property if they break up.

In fact, “common law marriage” is a myth. Unmarried couples never acquire legal rights by virtue of staying together for a long time.

Unfortunately, this has led to some individuals falling on financial hardship or being forced to move out of their home after a break-up.

What is a cohabitation agreement?

A cohabitation agreement is an arrangement between an unmarried couple in relation to what will happen if they break up, including:

  • How the mortgage, rent, and/or bills will be paid
  • What happens to joint accounts, savings, investments, and pensions
  • How debts will be paid
  • How property and assets, owned prior or acquired after the relationship began, will be divided
  • Who gets to keep personal belongings, including cars, furniture, and pets
  • Next of kin rights

Cohabitation agreements can provide certainty for couples, potentially avoiding disputes later on if they break up.

If you are choosing to live with your partner before getting married, our family law lawyers can help you agree and draft a cohabitation agreement.

We also provide advice where the cohabitation agreement is disputed after the break-up. For example, where one party claims its terms are unfair.

What can you do if your partner won’t leave your shared home?

If you and your former-partner have not signed a cohabitation agreement, whether you can force your partner to leave your shared home will depend on how it is owned or rented.

If it is owned or rented in your joint names, it will be difficult to make them leave. However, if you are concerned about continuing to cohabit, for example, because of domestic violence issues, we can provide sensitive advice on potentially obtaining an emergency remedy.

What happens to personal belongings?

As unmarried couples do not have any rights to each other’s property, personal belongings will be divided according to who owns them. For example, the car will belong solely to the person whose name the title is in and the TV will belong to the person who bought it.

The division of personal belongings is often difficult to prove and can potentially result in long legal battles involving endless lists and receipts. Wherever possible, we can help you keep the process amicable by negotiating a division which is fair.

What happens with children?

With nearly half of babies now being born to unmarried couples each year, children still retain substantial legal protection even where the parents are not married.

Our family lawyers understand that your children’s happiness is likely to be your greatest concern when separating and the welfare of your children will be our paramount concern when providing you with advice. We can provide practical guidance on matters such as:

  • Where your children will live most of the time
  • How much contact (time spent with the children) the non-resident parent will have
  • How decisions about the children’s upbringing will be made, such as where they go to school
  • Whether any financial arrangements should be made, including ongoing child maintenance

In the majority of situations, we can help clients come to a harmonious compromise on arrangements for children using Alternative Dispute Resolution such as family mediation.

Why choose our family lawyers in Hammersmith, London?

We pride ourselves on truly understanding the needs of our client and providing legal advice which reflects their individual circumstances. Our approach is to keep our clients central to every action we take whilst working towards a positive resolution as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible.

Primrose Hudson , Mark Faith and Thanuja Oppilamany have years of experience between them. They have  worked with many cohabitation matters and disputes, including helping couples come to arrangements about children. 

Our team also includes specialist Family Consultant Solicitor, Primrose Hudson, who has nearly 3 decades of experience dealing with family law matters.

Hubbard Pegman & Whitney is independently regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).

Get in touch with our family solicitors in Hammersmith, London

For further information about our cohabitation disputes services, or to arrange an initial consultation, get in touch with our family law solicitors in Hammersmith, London on 0208 735 9770 or by filling in our simple contact form.


    Close

    Get in touch


    Discuss your situation with an experienced Solicitor by filling out the form below or by ringing us on 0208 735 9770.

    This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.