Unlike couples that are married or in a civil partnership, cohabiting couples do not have the same legal rights.  It is important that you seek legal advice about your rights about any property that you own together, your possessions and pension provisions.

For example:  if you own the property as ‘joint tenants’ then it is assumed under law that you intended to own the property in equal shares. If the property is owned as ‘tenants in common’ the share of what each person should own is usually drawn up into a document (declaration of trust). In circumstances where one person owns the property in their sole name, it can be difficult for the other person to establish an interest in the property.