Living together / cohabitation agreements.
The following article is well worth a look – www.thetimes.co.uk
Living together and cohabiting is not the same as being married, and for unmarried couples even with children they are largely unprotected, if the partner dies or they split up.
Millions of people live together just as if they were man and wife, but there is no marriage license. The solution is to sign a living together agreement. This can be done quickly and cheaply, and Hylton- Potts provide the service the £595 including VAT.
It may seem unromantic, but unforeseen things can happen, such a serious injury and nobody can guarantee a relationship will last. The correct approach is to get the thing signed, put it in the drawer and forget about it but had it there if you needed.
If one partner owns the house and the second partner pays money towards it, both parties need to agree what the second partner is paying towards, whether it is rent, household bills or the mortgage. This can give the second partner some rights but to enforce can be expensive and complex, and the outcome uncertain. Living together agreement set it out clearly.
Children
If there are children, the partner owning the house can sometimes lose occupation of it to the other partner with the child until the children leave school at the age of 18 or more, not a happy outcome
If no agreement is made and there are children, in some cases the court may order the transfer of the home to the parent who is mainly looking after them to ensure the children are housed.
If part or all of the home is still owned by the other partner, it may not revert back to them until the youngest child is 18.
Wills and pensions
Bereaved partners who were not married get nothing unless there is a valid will. This can be written for a very competitive fixed fee.
Cohabitees are not entitled to receive the state pension or bereavement allowance. Many pension schemes may not pay out to unmarried partners in the event of death.
Hylton- Potts can help with problems like this. We operate from London offices but help clients all over the country at highly competitive fixed fees.
There is an office hours free confidential hotline 020 7381 8111 and a 24-hour free confidential email legal help service [email protected]
We would be interested in your comments, please leave below this blog post.
I always thought I had some protection if things went wrong but I do need to think about putting something in place after reading this ….
Thank you for your comment. We are easy to find in London so why not get in touch on 0207 381 8111 or email us at [email protected] and we can advise you in detail according to your circumstances. Rodney
I’m from London and my partner and I are thinking about doing a living together agreement after reading your blog. Thanks.
Thanks Melissa. Please give us a call if you need help with it 0207 381 8111 or email us at [email protected]
I do not live in London, can you still help me draft a cohabitation agreement about the things discussed above?
Hi Sam. Yes, of course. We have clients all over the country, most clients outside London deal with us by email and phone only. Please see our contact details in my replies above.
I live in London and have been divorced twice but my current partner does not seem keen on marriage, and I don’t think I can get him to agree to sign this agreement. What is your advice? Should I leave him and start afresh?
I have just convinced my partner of 8 years to get a cohabitation agreement made. We have 2 kids together so I want something in place for their future, should the worse should happen, We are based in Luton, can you still help?
We are based in London and can deal with this for you ASAP. Contact us on 0207 381 8111 or email on [email protected] and we can set this up for you.
Is it ever ‘too late’ to have a cohabitation agreement and do you have any tips on how to broach it with my partner ?
It’s never too late to have an agreement. Why not get in touch and we can discuss how easy it is ? We have a London office but deal with people all over the country. Telephone 0207 381 8111 or email [email protected]. Rodney