Legal expert issues urgent warning to unmarried couples living together
A legal expert has issued an urgent warning to unmarried couples supposedly 'living in sin'.
New research from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) released this week revealed that cohabiting couples who haven't gone down the aisle are the fastest-growing relationship type in the UK.
However, according to this legal eagle from Stowe Family Law, these households are 'among the least protected'.
Ciara Pugh, a Senior Associate at the UK's largest family law firm, warned that couples who fall into this category should 'take steps to protect themselves and their future' as a matter of urgency.
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And given that a whopping 6.5 million people in England and Wales are now living with a partner without being married or entering into a civil partnership, there's more than a few folks who ought to take heed of her advice.
While over 60 percent of adults are now shacking up with their partner, according to the data published by the ONS, 36.8 percent of grown-ups have never made their love official in the legal sense.
And not to get all doom and gloom, but being unmarried can really bite you in the backside if your partner pops their clogs.
That's why a host of experts have raised concerns about the 'urgent need for legal reform to reflect modern relationships'.
But seen as though we might be waiting a while for that to be introduced, Pugh has urged unmarried Brits to cover their own backs as best they can.
"Cohabiting couples continue to be the fastest-growing family type in the UK, yet they unfortunately remain among the least protected in a legal sense," the solicitor explained.
“If one partner dies or the relationship ends, there is no automatic right to property, inheritance or financial support unless it is for the benefit of children - regardless of how long they may have lived together or if they share children.
"It’s therefore vital that couples take steps to protect themselves and their future."
Stowe Family Law is calling for 'greater awareness around cohabitation agreements and Declarations of Trust, which can offer legal and financial clarity for unmarried couples'.
Money mogul Martin Lewis made a similar call to action earlier this year, as he warned that dodging a pricey wedding could end up costing you a pretty penny down the line.
He explained that married couples can reap several 'legal and tax benefits', pointing out that assets left to the surviving spouse aren't taxed.
During an episode of The Martin Lewis Podcast back in June, the TV star said: "Any assets left to your spouse is automatically exempt from inheritance tax.
"When you die, any money, any property, any assets left to your spouse is automatically exempt from inheritance tax.
"An even more important inheritance tax boon of marriage is you can pass on your unused inheritance tax balance to your spouse. So in plain speak you don't pay inheritance tax on the first £325,000 you leave when you die."
Lewis then explained what happens if you plan on 'leaving your main residence to your direct descendants'.
"So your children or grandchildren or step children... You usually get another £175,000 on top," he said. "So that's £500,000 that you can leave without paying tax on it.
"If you leave everything to your spouse when you die, then you haven't used any of those allowances and as they're unused they get passed on to your spouse.
"That means when your spouse passes away their allowance and yours, which means if you're leaving the main property, they can then leave a million pounds they can pass on without paying any inheritance tax. That's a huge benefit.
"And that's why it's often worth looking at getting married or a civil partnership which counts in exactly the same way."
Topics: Sex and Relationships, UK News, Money, Weddings, Martin Lewis
Olivia Burke