Cohabitation Awareness Week

Over the last year we have reported on the issue of cohabitation and the number of couples who choose to live together without getting married or entering into a civil partnership. Cohabiting couples have been the fastest growing family tile over the last 20 years and are now the second largest family group in the UK. However, many still believe the common law marriage myth – that if they live together with their partner for long enough, they will somehow acquire certain rights to property and assets.

This week is Cohabitation Awareness Week (27 Nov – 1 Dec) and Resolution are campaigning strongly to bring to the forefront the idea that cohabiting couples deserve more protection on relationship breakdown. Resolution also aim to try and weed out some of the myths around cohabitation and have produced a short video highlighting the key issues. The video is entitled Cohabitation Nation and can be viewed here.

For any couple experiencing relationship breakdown it is important to seek legal advice from the outset, regardless of whether or not they are married. At Barker Gotelee our family department can in most circumstances offer a free consultation to anyone who has questions on this area of law or needs guidance on what to do next.

Amanda Erskine is a solicitor in the Family department at Barker Gotelee Solicitors.

Suffolk Family Solicitors – for more information on our range of legal services, please call the team on 01473 611211 or email [email protected]