Cohabitation Agreements

We understand that there are times when marriage or a civil partnership is not for you but you would still like to set out the things that have been agreed between you.

We can prepare a legal document called a Cohabitation Agreement when you are living together but not married. It can set out how bills and other matters will be divided while you are living together and can also set out what will happen if you were to separate. It can be entered into regardless of whether the assets, such as property, are owned in your joint names or in one party’s sole name. It is important to remember that “common law marriage” is a myth and cohabiting couples do not automatically have rights like married couples.

A Cohabitation Agreement is not limited to those that are in a relationship but can also be used by other people such as friends and family who are living together.

We are unable to offer a fixed fee for any work we undertake in respect of cohabitation contracts. The reason for this is because we often cannot tell at an initial appointment how much work may be involved in resolving your matter or the level of cooperation from the other person. Our time will be charged at hourly rates plus VAT and any disbursements. We will provide you with a cost estimate at the outset of your matter.