Living together: Unmarried couples' property position

Exploring co-habiting couples and property co-ownership

clock • 4 min read

Lawyer Richard Burgess recommends that clients should dispense with the rose-tinted glasses when setting up home and get real with a declaration of trust...

A couple who have defied high interest rates and a cooling housing market to buy their perfect home may not want to hear that there are further practical issues that they should consider when embarking on co-ownership. However, doing so could save headache and heartache at a time when things are not so rosy. For instance, the default position for co-habiting non-married couples is that a co-owned property is held equally. This may be to the disadvantage of the party who contributed more financially towards the purchase than their partner. To defeat this presumption of equal ownership, th...

To continue reading this article...

Join Professional Adviser

  • Unlimited access to real-time news, industry insights and market intelligence.
  • Stay ahead of the curve with spotlights on emerging trends and technologies
  • Receive breaking news stories straight to your inbox in the daily newsletters.
  • Make smart business decisions with the latest developments in regulation, investing retirement and protection.
  • Members-only access to the editor’s weekly Friday commentary
  • 
 Be the first to hear about our events and awards programmes.

Join

 

Already a Professional Adviser member?

Login

More on Tax planning

Laura Suter explores the patchwork of government childcare polciy

Government must bring clarity to childcare provision

Childare will be a key policy point at the next general election

Laura Suter
clock 21 March 2023 • 4 min read
Record IHT receipts up 16% year-on-year with £0.9bn increase

Record IHT receipts up 16% year-on-year with £0.9bn increase

Running total for 2022/23 now £6.4bn, surpassing last year’s final figure

Jenna Brown
clock 21 March 2023 • 4 min read
Picture by Rory Arnold / No 10 Downing Street

Budget in review: A 'transformative' time for pension savers

Spring back to work….please! A look at the big changes in pensions

Stewart Sanderson
clock 20 March 2023 • 5 min read