Former Made in Chelsea star Louise Thompson made gossip magazine headlines in June 2019 when she called off her engagement to her long-term partner Ryan Libbey just months before their Christmas wedding, saying that ‘it’s just the big picture…that we need to get to grips with first’. We usually expect such announcements to be accompanied by a messy break up, but you only need to take a quick pass over her Louise’s Instagram page to see that the couple still going strong, having assessed and realised they just weren’t quite ready for marriage.
With an estimated 64,000 wedding days delayed or cancelled altogether due to lockdown this year, many couples may be finding themselves in a similar position of assessing where they are in their relationship and what they want moving forward.
A recent study by eHarmony and Relate[i] revealed some interesting relationship developments during lockdown, which are likely to have far reaching impacts. Namely, there has been a rise in what has been termed ‘turbo relationships’, with 36% of new couples asked revealing that the last two months living together have felt equivalent to two years of commitment, and 59% feeling more committed than ever before.
Perhaps you too faced lockdown with your significant other and are even more besotted with them after spending all day every day together for three months solid…or maybe not so much, as 1 in 7 couples from the same study admitted that lockdown made them realise their relationship was over.
Whatever impact coronavirus has had on your relationship, here are some legal points to consider as we come out the other side:
If you live together but don’t marry, you’re not entitled to financial support your partner, no matter how long you live together for. You can agree between yourselves to make such an arrangement, but there is no requirement to do so, and where there is no express agreement otherwise, assets will belong to the ‘legal owner’. Be mindful of this if you are building up a home and personal wealth together.
‘Cohabitation agreements’ are increasingly popular. These are a written agreement about how finances will work between you, so if you break up you already have a broad agreement to make separating as painless as possible. These agreements can be drafted flexibly to suit you, only become legally binding if executed as a formal legal deed, and can save a raging argument years down the line over who keeps the dog or the good pans. #
If your wedding has been delayed due to coronavirus, or you don’t want to marry but you find lockdown has been more…productive…than expected, keep in mind that a mother automatically obtains ‘parental responsibility’ for a child at birth, but an unmarried father does not – so you should both ensure that the father is named on the birth certificate to ensure he obtains the same parental rights and responsibilities.
If you are still considering marriage have you considered a prenuptial agreement? They sound terribly unromantic, but much like a cohabitation agreement, a prenup allows you to agree and record your intentions at the outset of the marriage, and can help set expectations early on. Not only does it ensure you are both provided for in the future, but it is infinitely better to identify and remedy points of disagreement with a loving partner than a soon-to-be-ex.
Overall remember: there is no ‘one size fits all’. The Family Court now recognise that couples are more likely to live together before marriage, taking into account periods of ‘seamless pre-marital cohabitation’ when looking at the overall marriage length, meaning no detriment later if you want to (or have had to) put your wedding off for a while. Studies have also shown that couples who live together for longer before marriage are less likely to divorce – so make sure you are doing what is right for you.
Beth Courtney-Walker, Solicitor, Family department
Email : bcourtney-walker@jacksons-law.com
T: 0191 2322574
