Glynis Wright & Co Family Solicitors & Mediators

  • About
  • Meet The Team
  • Our Services
    • Divorce
    • Divorce Settlements
    • Children in Divorce
    • Prenuptial Agreements
    • Living Together Agreements
    • Civil Partnership Dissolution
    • Cohabitation Break Up
    • ADR
    • Pulled Both Ways Project
  • Family Mediation
    • Pulled Both Ways
  • Reviews
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
    • Privacy Policy

Living Together Agreements

living together agreements leicester

Living Together (or Cohabitation) Agreements are becoming increasingly popular in the UK. It is a well-known fact that marriage rates are falling and people are choosing to cohabit together instead. However, as the law stands today, there is very little legal protection for cohabitees who suffer a relationship breakup and need to resolve disputes that may have arisen in respect of property or children. It can save huge amounts of money if you think about these things at the outset.

Cohabitation breakups are enormously complicated where there are disputed property interests and legal costs can run into the thousands. Often, these costs can be avoided by having a Living Together Agreement which sets out what you and your partner have agreed will happen if you break up.

It is a common mistake to think that if you live with someone for a period of time you acquire the same rights as a husband or wife because you become a common law husband or wife. This is completely wrong. Cohabitees cannot rely on the family court to determine an appropriate financial settlement for them in the same way as divorcees or same sex couples who marry can. Men and women who are primary carers of any child or children of the marriage can be particularly disadvantaged because their ability to bring claims are much more limited than if they were married.

For example, a husband or wife with care of the children can bring claims for spousal maintenance as well as child maintenance against the other spouse to help them with the living expenses of the family, but an unmarried carer has no such right to bring claims for spousal maintenance.

Even where there are no children to consider, a cohabitee who is not on the legal title to a property may find that they lose their home if the relationship breaks up because they occupy that property only with the consent of the other who is the legal owner. If that consent is withdrawn because the relationship has broken down, they could be out on the street.

A Living Together Agreement could include provisions that regulate this situation so that both parties know who gets what in terms of property, whether a notice period has to be given if one is to leave the property, whether the property is to be sold etc. Conversely, the sole legal owner of a property who moves his or her partner in may not realise that his or her partner may start accruing a financial interest in the property if they help to pay the mortgage or put money into improvements to the home, even if they are never put on the title deeds to the property.

A Living Together Agreement could include provisions that regulate this situation too to avoid later dispute arising about whether a financial interest in the property does arise for the non-legal owner and what their share should be if they do establish a claim.

If you think about these things at the outset, you can deal with them properly by entering into a Living Together Agreement to record the financial arrangements that are to apply in respect of property, children, wills and legacies, ownership of chattels (e.g. cars, jewellery, antiques) and many other topics relevant to cohabitation.

They can be very simple contracts dealing with one or two matters only or they can be quite complex. Either way, any of our team can assist you in the drafting of a bespoke agreement that deals with the issues that are important to you.

CONTACT US: 0116 2385680

Glynis Wright & Co AwardsMake an appointment today. You will walk out of our office knowing exactly what to do next!

Call us on 0116 2385680 or complete the contact form

Nelsons Glynis Wright

Our Company Blog

Top tips on preparing yourself before you make the decision to divorce

Thinking about a divorce before the proceedings start may help to reduce the conflict and

Feelings of Hatred… Parental Alienation… Shift in Residence

Going through a separation is difficult and the majority of these cases affect the

Delay at your peril!

The team at Glynis Wright & Co often see clients who have been separated from their

What people say about us…

Testimonial for Gayle

Gayle was very hard working and soon picked up the pieces half way through my very complicated divorce case, she was very thorough and i was delighted at the outcome.    

Testimonial for Glynis

I went to family lawyer Glynis Wright when my long term relationship dissolved. The financial settlement was non standard so Glynis` ability to handle the situation allowed me to move overseas with peace of mind.  

Testimonial for Glynis

Many many thanks to Glynis for all her help and support which far exceeded any professional expectations. It was a good day when I came to see Glynis.

Mrs M
Leicester

Testimonial for Glynis

Divorce is one of the most painful experiences anyone can face. But the recommendation to use family lawyer Glynis Wright was quite honestly the shrewdest decision of my life.

Mr P
Somerset

Contact Us: 0116 2385680

Glynis Wright & Co AwardsIf you want highly qualified specialist lawyer/mediators, you have come to the right place! Family law is all we do!

Call us on 0116 2385680 or complete the contact form

Featured Posts

Pulled Both Ways Project

Pulled Both Ways

Glynis Wright & Co partners with Soft Touch Arts to create groundbreaking short films

family law firm leicester

Leicester Family Law Firm, Glynis Wright & Co – Joint Winners of “Law Firm of the Year 2015”

  Leicester's Boutique Family Law firm It has been only 4 years since the boutique

Cheats Charter Diminished?

Lawyers working within the family law sector have waited with bated breath for the outcome

Privacy Notice

Cookie Policy

Terms of Use

Complaints

Professional Services – Winner

Niche Business Awards Leicester winner 2015 professional services

Glynis Wright & Co - Winners 2015: Professional Services

Nelsons acquire Glynis Wright & Co

Nelsons Glynis Wright

top family law firm

Nelsons Solicitors Limited is a limited company registered in England and Wales (Reg No: 07219010) and a wholly owned subsidiary of Nelsonslaw LLP, a limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales (Reg No: OC335458). Their registered offices are at Pennine House, 8 Stanford Street, Nottingham, NG1 7BQ. A list of members of Nelsonslaw LLP may be inspected at the registered office. Nelsons Solicitors Limited and Nelsonslaw LLP are authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Nelsons Solicitors Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Our notaries are regulated by the Faculty Office. Nelsons Solicitors Limited's VAT No is 385 184 329. We use the word "partner" to refer to a member of Nelsonslaw LLP and/or a director of Nelsons Solicitors Limited and its use in connection with the business of Nelsons Solicitors Limited should not be construed as an indication that any member or director carries on business in partnership with any other member or director within the meaning of the Partnership Act 1890.

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

Glynis Wright & Co Family Solicitors & Mediators
Powered by Glynis Wright & Co  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.