Cohabitation Agreements

Cohabitation agreement

Your agreement can cover how you will share the rent or mortgage and bills and how to deal with any bank account, property or assets if you later separate. It helps agree things in a fair way, without the emotional pressures, which can arise when a relationship breaks down.

An agreement can strengthen your relationship by lessening the worry about what would happen if you do separate – preventing disagreements and avoiding potentially costly court proceedings.

Each cohabitation agreement is designed to fit your personal circumstance and may include:

• How each of you contributes to rent, mortgage or household bills
• How each of you will deal with any debts
• The fact that if you own a property each of you may have contributed differently to the deposit.
• How you deal with any joint bank accounts
• Taking out Life Insurance on each other
• Nominating the other as a beneficiary under a pension
• What would happen to items you have bought together like cars and furniture
• How you will support any children you may have

We will ask you to provide all the information we need and prepare the agreement and advise you on how to complete it and get it witnessed. You and your partner will then receive an original copy.

Provided you have both been honest about your finances and assets, it is likely that a court would enforce a properly prepared agreement as it is a legal contract between you. If you go on to marry you could consider a pre-nuptial agreement, known as a pre-registration agreement for civil partners. Although not legally binding, a pre-nuptial or pre-registration agreement would be taken into account by the court in any proceedings between a married couple or civil partners should they separate.

Cohabitation agreement (drafting only) £750 plus vat.