If you're in an unmarried couple and your relationship breaks down, you won't have the same rights as people who are married or in a civil partnership. This means that if you decide to separate you don’t automatically have the right to share in each other’s finances and property.
Whether you're moving in together or just planning for the future, it's a good idea to seek legal advice from our family law solicitors. There are steps you can take to give yourself certainty and avoid potential unfairness.
We can help you to work through and formalise your arrangements in a separation agreement. This sets out how you will split your finances, assets and childcare arrangements.
If you're considering moving in with your partner without getting married, we could help you put together a cohabitation agreement. This clarifies:
- Who owns what, including your home, joint bank accounts and belongings
- How payment of household bills is to be divided
- Maintenance payments for any children, including school fees and payments for housing.
Cohabitation agreements can be legally binding and enforceable, giving you peace of mind and security. We've particular expertise in relationships where one or both parties has significant wealth or owns property overseas.
If you need further advice on rights for unmarried couples, please contact us to speak with one of our experts. Call us or contact us online and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
Our team can also advise and represent you if there is a dispute as to ownership of property with your ex-partner and wish to make a Trusts of Land and Appointment of Trustees Act (TOLATA) claim. Similarly, if your partner brings a TOLATA claim against you, we can provide clear advice and defend your interests.
How can Irwin Mitchell’s solicitors help with unmarried couples’ rights?
We're widely recognised as one of the UK's leading family law teams. We're accredited by independent legal guides Chambers & Partners and The Legal 500, so are well placed to guide you through the legal process.
Working with you, our solicitors can advise you on your situation and take you through every step of the process. Our no-nonsense approach will ensure you understand your options and feel comfortable with every decision you make.
We’ve recently acquired the specialist family law firm, Silk Family Law. Their in-depth knowledge has now been brought to our established family law team, giving us an even greater level of legal expertise.
We offer a wide range of services across our firm and can connect you with other teams that could be of help to you. These teams include:
- Child arrangements – if you and your partner have children, our solicitors can help you with issues such as with which parent the children live, and how regularly they spend time with the other parent
- Conveyancing & property – if you need help with selling your property, buying a new one, or remortgaging your home, our property solicitors can help
- Wills – you may need to alter your Will after the ending of your relationship. Our specialist Wills team can give you tailored advice on this, or help you to create a Will from scratch if you haven’t already made one
- Counselling – we understand that this can be an emotional time for you. Our in-house counsellor Vicky Lambert offers up to four free counselling sessions, where you can process your emotions. These sessions can be used at any point in the process, with the option of further paid sessions if you need them.
We appreciate that different people like to work with their solicitors in different ways, and we do all we can to work in the best way for you. We’ve offices located around the UK, so you can travel to your local office for a comfortable and private chat with your solicitor. If it’s easier for you, we can organise video or phone calls to communicate that way.
Call today for more information
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