Co-habitation Advice
Surveys show that too many people, including those who are
already living together, are under the impression that they
will have legal rights as ‘common law husband and wife. This
is not the case. Although attempts are being made to get the law brought into
line with modern family structures, at present cohabitants
have no automatic rights if they separate or one partner dies.
Everyone’s circumstances will be different but unmarried
couples who live together, or plan to do so, should consider:
- Whether they need to make a Will for the first time or
revise an existing one. Remember that if one partner
dies unexpectedly without a Will, there is no automatic provision
for the other under the intestacy rules.
- Whether they should consider making a Cohabitation Agreement.This
can include information about who will pay for what and what
would happen to the assets if the relationship ended. This
may be particularly important where there is more than one
property, where the couple’s home is owned solely by
one partner, or where one person is going to make career
sacrifices in order to bring up children.
Contact Mary Pearce in Bury St Edmunds, Sue Bailey in Cambridge
or Neale Grearson in Norwich for individual advice.
