Cohabiting couples
While the number of cohabiting couples in the UK has more than doubled, the numbers of married and lone parent families have remained stable. Cohabiting couple family numbers more than doubled from 1.5 million families in 1996 to 3.3 million families in 2017. Despite an increasing number of couples choosing to cohabit and have children…
Can Amazon Alexa or Google Home by used by a spouse to spy on their partner? Our clients are normally already aware of the risk that their use of social media and smartphones or tablets will allow their spouse or partner to spy on them. This behaviour can range the relatively benign monitoring of someone’s…
Social Media Spying Risks: your social media accounts can be used to spy, stalk or monitor your activities, your movements and your communications with friends. Social media can also be misused to harass you or even impersonate you. 1. Consider deleting all or some of your social media accounts. 2. Change all your passwords on…
Our clients will often wish to change their name following a separation or divorce. Normally, this will be to revert to a maiden name. Frequently, clients will ask for a “deed poll”. However, this will not always be necessary. 1. You can start using a new name without any formal documentation. For many organisations, a…
A Guest Blog by Martha Gray, barrister at 42 Bedford Row. Despite an increasing number of couples choosing to cohabit and have children without getting married the myth of “common law marriage” persists. In fact, although cohabitants do have some legal protection in several areas, cohabitation gives no general legal status to a couple. Unmarried…
I have written before about a young man in 1916 who promised a young lady the earth (including an engagement ring) but failed to honour the word that she took as binding. Gladys took him to court for child maintenance and for breach of promise – and secured herself the princely sum of £35 in…
I was contacted this week and asked to write about a specific problem which has arisen in the life of a reader’s family member, who has suffered a relationship breakdown, and is unmarried, not on the house deeds and is unable to agree on contact arrangements for the children of the family. This made me…
Are you cohabiting? If so, you are amongst the 15% of both men and women in this country aged 16 to 59 who are currently cohabiting. Whilst some of these couples will not buy property, many of them will, and the law used to determine the ownership of property belonging to cohabiting couples is unfit…
