Cohabitation Agreement Solicitors

If you decide to get married, you and your partner will enjoy the extra legal rights applied to married couples, and the Cohabitation Agreement will no longer apply.

However, the original agreement could be used as evidence of what you and your partner wanted from your financial situation. This is a possibility if the marriage later breaks down and you can't reach an amicable financial settlement.

We’ve years of experience dealing with family law, covering everything from Cohabitation Agreements to high-profile divorce cases where we’ve successfully challenged and changed the law.

For expert advice you can trust from one of the country's leading family law teams, contact us online.

No, in fact, many couples find it best to set out a Cohabitation Agreement before moving in together. This can help to set the living arrangements off on the right foot before issues about finances or responsibilities can develop.

You can create a Cohabitation Agreement after moving in together and change one at any time depending on how your circumstances change.

Cohabitation Agreements are tailored to your specific circumstances, so if at any point you're unhappy with yours, you can have it amended as a couple.

There are a few key differences you and your partner will need to consider when deciding whether to enter a civil partnership or a Cohabitation Agreement. These include:

• Legal recognition – a civil partnership is recognised by law, and cohabiting isn’t.
• Financial support – in a cohabiting agreement, you and your partner don’t have a legal responsibility to support each other financially if the relationship ends. Meanwhile, in a civil partnership, you’re legally required to support each other.
• Housing – when you’re in a cohabiting relationship, the owner or named tenant of the property can request that the other leave. However, in a civil partnership, neither partner has to leave the property, no matter who owns it or is the named tenant.
• Ending the relationship – if you and your partner are cohabiting, you can end the relationship without the need to go to court. But if you’re in a civil partnership, you’ll need to go to court to apply for a dissolution.

Every case is different and much depends on how complex your situation is.

We offer an initial consultation where we discuss your personal circumstances and share advice on how best to proceed. After this, we usually send you a note with everything we discussed and an idea of how much we expect your case to cost.

If we are unable to do so at that point, we will tell you what steps need to be taken to give us a clearer picture.

We will tailor our approach to suit your budget as much as possible, and we are always upfront and transparent about the costs you may be facing. We never undertake work you haven't asked for and always work hard to get you the best possible result.

For more information about our services, or to talk to one of our family law experts about your situation, call us or contact us online and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.

Yes, we often help clients who live in Scotland. We work with law firms around Scotland that help us make sure that unique aspects of Scottish law are met.

We’ll still be your main point of contact and will keep you regularly updated with the progress of your Cohabitation Agreement.

The best time to put a Cohabitation Agreement in place is before moving in together.

If you're already living with your partner, you can still set one up. You might want to formalise things now you're more settled, or maybe your circumstances have changed, and now you want that extra peace of mind.