Private clients

Setting up home with your partner

Buying a buying a house or just moving in with your partner raises all kinds of legal points but, without expert advice at the time, very few realise the implications and risks of not formalising the arrangements. Unmarried couples have very little protected under the law if the relationship breaks down or the partner dies.

‘Cohabitation’ agreements may have an ugly name and certainly sounds quite unromantic! However, they are gaining recognition and do serve a very useful purpose in setting out, in advance of any conflict, what each party expects of the other during the relationship or at the end of it, including if one of them dies.

Having a child in a relationship outside of marriage raises more issues still. It is not commonly know that there can now be a joint registration of the birth so that both parties have parental responsibility. And, it might seem very important to a young couple living together on a permanent basis, but making a Will is probably more important than if they were married!

We can advise and help formulate an Agreement to cover these eventualities and we can help ‘tailor-make’ legal joint ownership arrangements to reflect financial contribution and to deal fairly with the splitting of the proceeds of sale of the home if the relationship breaks down.

Also see Residential Conveyancing, Wills and Family law