3.6 million couples in the UK cohabit, meaning they live together in a relationship but without getting married or civil partnered. In fact, they are the fastest growing type of family in this country
If those couples break up then they usually split their shared finances without the help of courts or solicitors. In fact, splitting after buying a house or sharing bills together has become known as the ‘millennial divorce’ – only it doesn’t just affect millennials and there are none of the protections of divorce. That can make a big difference when it comes to splitting assets like the family home or pension savings.
We're talking about this today because the government has recently said it won't be addressing recommendations for cohabitation law reforms - for England and Wales.
The experts on this panel are Laura Pomfret, the founder of Financielle, an app and service focused on helping women manage their finances, and Graeme Fraser, head of family at BBS Law.
Presenter: Felicity Hannah Producer: Amber Mehmood Researcher: Star McFarlane Editor: Clare Worden