Legal services for unmarried couples
Our family law solicitors provide a range of legal services for unmarried couples living together - including cohabitation agreements, parental rights and legal rights if the relationship ends.
Unmarried couples legal services: Expert cohabitation solicitors
If you are unmarried and living together, you’re a cohabiting couple. Cohabiting couples don’t have the same rights as married couples, and this lack of legal rights can become an issue if you split up, have children or buy a house together.
Our guide to the rights of unmarried couples living together covers more detail about the rights of unmarried people.
We can help you with:
- a cohabitation agreement which can help protect you and any children you have
If you separate, we can help:
- sort out child custody
- agree child maintenance payments if you separate. Child maintenance is still payable if you were unmarried; here's some information about child maintenance and how it may be affected during Coronavirus.
- enforce child maintenance payments
- get parental responsibility (for example, if you’re an unmarried father)
- agree which parent the children should live with
- property claims for unmarried couples
- divide your financial assets fairly (e.g. house, car, business, land).
We’re here to help
If you want a lawyer to take a closer look at your situation, for a fixed fee of £150 + VAT, we can talk with you for up to 90 minutes and set out some options.
Our family and divorce lawyers are based in:
- Cambridgeshire: Cambridge
- Essex: Brentwood, Chelmsford and Saffron Walden
- Hertfordshire: Bishop's Stortford and Royston
But we can help you wherever you are in England and Wales.
Call our Family and Divorce law solicitors on 0808 231 1320
Unmarried couples FAQs
A cohabitation agreement is a legal document that describes what would happen if you ever separated. The agreement makes sorting these issues out much more straightforward. It can cover practical issues such as:
- Finances and financial support
- Ownership of the family home
- Childcare arrangements
- Changes to your tenancy
- Division of assets such as furniture.
If you want to get a cohabitation agreement, talk to one of our friendly family law solicitors.
TOLATA is the Trusts of Land and Appointment of Trustees Act 1996 (TOLATA). The Courts have the power to resolve property and land ownership disputes through this Act. A family law solicitor can help you make a property claim, or represent you if your partner makes a claim against you. You can settle claims outside of Court.
