Abensons Solicitors

Cohabitees

Many people labour under the misconception that so-called 'common law' wives have the same rights in law as those in formal marriages. As the law currently stands, they do not. In particular, property rights are radically different and can have a serious impact on your lifestyle in the event of a relationship break-down.

The only recourse available is either Contract Law or complicated Trust Law. The idea that people may wish to agree on the distribution of their joint property, without having to involve the Courts, should be encouraged.

As the number of people choosing to co-habit rather than marry continues to rise. Cohabitation Agreements are set to increase. Cohabiting couples need to be made aware of how their position is affected by cohabitation, or the coming to an end of cohabitation. Cohabitation or the ending of cohabitation can impact on every aspect of a client's life.

All too often, the first time cohabitees contact Family Lawyers is when the relationship breaks down. If all issues have been addressed in a Cohabitation Agreement at the start of the relationship when the parties were amicable, it would save them months of heartache, litigation and legal fees.

Cohabitation Agreements or Contracts (which is all they are) are entered into by parties seeking to deal with not only their finances at the current date but also to formalise what will occur upon the relationship breaking down.

To discover more about the services available please contact :
Mrs Sarla Martin on martins@abensons.co.uk or
Ms Katherine Hutchison on katherine@abensons.co.uk