Cohabitation and TOLATA claim solicitors

What are the rights of unmarried couples living together?

In England and Wales, there is no such thing as a common-law marriage. If you are an unmarried couple who live together, you will not have the same legal rights as a married couple.

This means that following the breakdown of a relationship, couples may have very few rights and it can become difficult to decide what should happen to finances and assets.

How a Cohabitation Agreement can protect unmarried couples

A Cohabitation Agreement can set out how certain finances and assets will be managed and set out what will happen to those assets should the relationship breakdown.

A Cohabitation Agreement can cover areas including:

How each person contributes to the rent, mortgage or household bills
How any debts are dealt with
How you deal with joint bank accounts
How each person contributed to the deposit if you own your home
What would happen to items you bought together should you break up
What would happen to any pets you have
How you will support any children you have.

In order for a Cohabitation Agreement to be legally binding, you should receive advice from a specialist family law solicitor.

At Farnworth Rose, our specialist solicitors in Nelson and Barrowford have helped people across the Lancashire and the rest of the UK draw up legally binding Cohabitation Agreements which protect their assets.

For advice on how you Cohabitation Agreements from our specialist solicitors, call us now on 01282 695 400.

What should you do if the relationship has already broken down?

Our specialist family law solicitors will discuss your circumstances and provide advice on how you can resolve matters without going to court. If this is not possible, you can make a TOLATA (Trust of Land and Appointment of Trustees Act 1996) claim.

Unmarried couples can make a TOLATA claim to ask the courts to determine the size of each joint owners shares in the property and whether the property should be sold. If making a TOLATA claim is necessary, our dedicated solicitors will provide the advice you need on all the options available to you.