With more couples choosing to live together without getting married than ever before, cohabitating couples are the fastest growing family type in UK. Unfortunately the law does not reflect this and many people are surprised to find they have very little legal protection if they separate.

Despite the myth about “common law marriage”, even if you have lived together for a long time and have children, you are not legally recognised as a couple. This can make things very difficult if you disagree about how to divide assets when you separate, especially if there is no documentation to support your position.

You can read more about financial disputes below and more about resolving disputes about children here.