Cohabitation

Put your mind at ease with London Family Solicitor – a friendly, professional
team of solicitors adept at dealing with cohabitation disputes.

Cohabitation Agreement London

Unmarried couples cohabiting is at an all-time high so it’s inevitable that sometimes it doesn’t work out.

Our cohabitation dispute service relieves some of the burden as we sort out the paperwork while offering helpful advice and support If you’ve lived with a partner for a long period of time then our cohabitation dispute service would greatly benefit you and your children in the event of the relationship breaking down.

What is a Cohabitation Dispute?

A cohabitation dispute happens if you live together, your relationship has broken down and you’re finding it difficult to come to an agreement with regards to property, assets, childcare and finances. It applies to couples who aren’t married or in a civil partnership and, as a result, you won’t be granted the same rights as a “common law marriage” if you decide to separate.

If you’re going through a cohabitation dispute you will need to agree on who owns what and how everything should be divided. That’s where London Family Solicitor steps in to help. We can help you sort out:

Assets: you can assign certain assets as joint assets or sole ownership
Property: We will determine whether you owned the property jointly or if it was solely-owned. If you made regular contributions to the rent or mortgage, we can find out if you can claim a share of the property. We can help you apply to court should you need to force or postpone the sale of the property.
Maintenance: If you’re a couple and you break up we can assist with payment of child maintenance.

To assist you, we’ll require bank statements, property valuations, property deeds, proof of income/savings/pension and others paperwork that counts as evidence.

What are the Advantages of Hiring London Family Solicitor for Cohabitation Disputes?

There are so many advantages of hiring a professional solicitors to settle your cohabitation dispute. Not only will you have specialist advice on hand when you need it, you can ask questions if you’re unsure of the final outcome.

Our dedicated lawyer is an accredited family law specialist with a vast knowledge, practical application of the law and best practice. She also specialises in finance provision from cohabitation, relationship breakdowns and much more.

The world of cohabitation disputes can be confusing at best – it is very different to a breakdown of a marriage or civil partnership. We offer legal advice and practical guidance including child care, child maintenance, contact arrangements, advising on division of assets/property and what you’ll need to do should you need to apply to the courts.

London Family Solicitor provides an expert cohabitation dispute service, as well as sound advice and specialised knowledge.

How does the Cohabitation Dispute process work?

The cohabitation dispute process can be complicated – so it’s best if you seek professional advice. Before you visit London Family Solicitor, it’s a good idea to have a preliminary discussion on who owns what and how assets should be divided.

We will draw up your bespoke agreement and send a copy to the other party – who, in turn, will get their solicitor to review it. Once everyone is satisfied, it’s signed by both parties with witnesses present.

Here are a few things you should discuss with your partner if there’s a cohabitation dispute:

Are you looking to sell the property?

Do you have any individual or joint debts?

Does anyone solely own any property already?

How will chattels be divided?

At London Family Solicitor we’re fully trained to support and advise you and we’re always here to discuss any thoughts or problems you may have.

Are Children Involved in the Cohabitation Dispute?

If you have children, they may be an important part of the dispute you are trying to resolve. In fact, if you’re the child’s natural parent you are automatically responsible for that child.

If you’re the natural father of a child you have parental responsibility if:

You are registered on the birth certificate as the natural father (this applies to births registered from December 2003 onwards).

You added your name as the father to the child’s birth certificate - with the mother’s full consent.

You married the child’s natural mother before or after the child’s birth.

A parental responsibility agreement is made with the natural birth mother and it’s witnessed by the court.

You apply to the court for a parental responsibility order (if the mother refuses to enter into a parental responsibility agreement with you) or a residence order.

However, if you’re none of the above then you’re not entitled to any automatic rights or responsibilities. If the relationship breaks down the cohabitation agreement can be used in court as part of evidence to settle childcare arrangements.

Are cohabitation disputes the same for gay and heterosexual couples?

In most cases – yes. But there are a few differences:

In a same-sex relationship you won’t have the right to take over a tenancy if your partner dies unless you were in a registered civil partnership or you both signed the tenancy agreement.
Tax and benefits treat gay couples as single individuals unless you’re in a civil partnership. If you are in a civil partnership and your partner dies then you will be treated in the same way as a hetereosexual married partner with regards to tax and benefits.
A few private pension and insurance policies don’t cover same-sex couples unless they’re in a civil partnership.

If you’re in a same-sex relationship and going through a cohabitation dispute then give our team a call today…

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General Hints
and Tips

Cohabitation disputes can be hard to deal with, especially if your partner will not back down. We are here to help settle your dispute and ensure a fair outcome. Here are a few of our handy tips when going through a cohabitation dispute:

Keep important paperwork organised (e.g. bank statement, bills, property deeds, children’s birth certificates, etc.)
Talk to your partner with calmness, clarity and rationality
If possible, get together and discuss in person about how you wish to divide property and assets, as well as childcare.
You should never feel forced or pressured in a cohabitation dispute.
If anything about the cohabitation dispute agreement makes you feel uncomfortable or uneasy then talk about it with both your partner and your solicitor.
If you find it hard to understand the terms in a cohabitation dispute then do not hesitate to ask your solicitor for help

Need to resolve a cohabitation dispute? Contact us on 020 3755 3151 or email us at contact@london-family-solicitor.co.uk where we are here to help you through the process.

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