The Law relating to People Living together

Living together in English Law bestows no rights similar to those of married couples. There is no entitlement to sharing of assets unless it can be established that they were intended to be jointly owned. There is also no right of maintenance for either party in any circumstances. If however there are children involved the father will still haver an obligation to maintain even if there was no marriage.

It is therefore advisable for any couple considering living together to enter into an agreement where it is made clear what the couples intentions are in the event of them splitting up. These agreements are legally binding though become void on subsequent marriage.

The most common cause of disagreement, after a split, is regarding the house the couple live in. A person does not acquire any rights to a property simply by living with somebody. If a couple that live together buy a house jointly and contribute to the purchase equally there is an automatic presumption that it was the intention of the parties to have an equal interest. If however the property is only in one persons name there is no such presumption of intention to share and the person whose name is not on the deeds will have no rights even if it has been a long relationship. If however the person not named on the deeds has made a material contribution to the purchase of the house and it can clearly be established that it was the intention of the parties to share the property then if necessary the Courts will make an order in favour of the party that has contributed.

Conflicts between couples who used to live together are quite common and it may be necessary to seek professional help to deal with them. Divorce Lawyers deal with these situations as well as Divorces and can provide the necessary advice and assistance required to resolve these problems. They can also prepare co-habitation agreements.

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