When people choose to live together or “cohabit,” they may be placing their property and assets at risk unless they have a cohabitation agreement that precisely spells out each partner’s rights, responsibilities, and legal protections. California isn’t the only location where cohabiting partners need legal protection. Cohabitation accounts for seventeen percent of all family arrangements today in the United Kingdom, according to figures released in November by the U.K.’s Office for National Statistics, and one group of family law attorneys in the United Kingdom is calling for more legal safeguards for cohabiting partners. In California, the law offers you some legal protection, but you really must have a cohabitation agreement in writing. Let an experienced Orange County family lawyer help.
A cohabitation contract is comparable to a prenuptial or postnuptial agreement. To avoid acrimony in the future, a cohabitation agreement should address several matters precisely and specifically. What will happen to the home? Will “palimony” or other financial obligations be paid? If you and your partner can draft a mutually acceptable agreement with the guidance of an experienced family law attorney, you can both save yourselves time, money, and aggravation if the relationship dissolves. Failure to get the basics in writing can leave you unprotected at the end of a cohabitation arrangement.
If you need “palimony” payments, those payments may not be easy to obtain, so you need to have some kind of a contract that you can show to the court to receive support payments when a cohabitation arrangement ends. An experienced Orange County family lawyer can help you and your partner create an enforceable cohabitation agreement that addresses all of your concerns and protects your long-term interests. If you need sound advice or high-quality legal services regarding any family law issue in southern California, make the call at once and contact an experienced Orange County family law attorney immediately.
