Hartnell Chanot: Divorce/Family Law Solicitors Exeter, Devon

What is a 'Living Together Agreement'?

If your partner is the named tenant they have the right to ask you to leave unless you have children

Moving in together is an exciting time for many couples and is the first step towards a committed and lasting relationship together.

Talking about what might happen if your relationship runs into trouble is often the last thing on your minds. These days, however, many couples are deciding to draw up a “Living Together Agreement”, not just for the eventuality of splitting up but also to clarify how they intend to live together.

Drawing up an agreement is a highly individualised thing. You can tailor it to suit the two of you and any children you might have, setting out your ideas on:

• How you bought your home, who contributed what share and how you would divide it if your relationship were to break down
• Your debts. It’s a good idea to draw up a statement of your debts at the beginning of the relationship showing who incurred what and who is responsible for paying them off.
• Arrangements for your children such as maintenance and how contact might be arranged.
• Wills. This does not replace the need for you to formally make a will, but you can supplement it with your intentions for inheritance.
• Your portable property (i.e. the goods in your home). Draw up a list of who brought what, what is considered to be shared and how you might deal with those shared items if you were to separate.
• How long the period of the agreement should last. Remember also to review it regularly, making amendments when any life changes arise.

The legal status of a living together agreement is similar to that of a pre-nuptial. The agreement greatly enhances your chances of avoiding a difficult legal battle provided it is reasonable and does not contravene your legal rights.

The agreement would be a formal legal deed and therefore legally binding in the same way as any legal contract between two parties. We can create an agreement for you, so please contact us on 01392 421777 for further information.