Co-habiting couples warned of "common law marriage" myth

Pixie5740

I saw this on the BBC website earlier:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-42134722

Resolution carried out a survey which found two-thirds of cohabiting couples wrongly believe "common-law marriage" laws exist when dividing up finances.

Resolution chairman Nigel Shepherd said current laws were "behind the times".
He said: "The government must listen to the public, legal professionals and a growing number of politicians who all agree that we need reform to provide basic rights to cohabiting couples should they separate."

What do you think? My view is that marriage is a contract and if you don't enter into it then you can't expect the protection of the law when things go down the pooper.

Comms69

Agree with you, invest in education so people know this stuff.

Need to stop catering to ‘fairness’

Ozzuk

Totally agree. You want more protection, get married. This way you have freedom of choice, rather than the state saying you are now in a relationship, all these new rights apply. Stupid idea, what problem are they trying to solve?

TonyMMM

Marriage is a legal agreement (apart from anything else) that comes with a number of legal & financial advantages .....which is why the official term isn't that you "get married" but that you "contract a marriage"

Red-Squirrel_2

I agree, that's what marriage is for. What about couples who are well aware of the facts but choose not to get married and don't want that contract or those rights, will it be forced on them just by living together?

Red-Squirrel_2

TonyMMM wrote: »

the official term isn't that you "get married" but that you "contract a marriage"

That makes it sound like a disease...

WillowCat

I imagine one of the main reasons that the marriage rates are down is the draconian 'divorce laws'.

I was married and have no intention of making the same mistake twice.

I now cohabit, and if any laws are passed which affect the distribution of assets when separating, then, if there's no opt out, it may well be bye bye boyfriend (even though I love him to bits).

Pixie5740

WillowCat wrote: »

I imagine one of the main reasons that the marriage rates are down is the draconian 'divorce laws'.

I was married and have no intention of making the same mistake twice.

I now cohabit, and if any laws are passed which affect the distribution of assets when separating, then, if there's no opt out, it may well be bye bye boyfriend (even though I love him to bits).

Having never been divorced (yet anyway) what do you find draconian about the divorce laws?

I've always had fairly ambivolent feelings about marriage perhaps because I've always been financially independent but when children were on the cards I felt more strongly about marriage.

Gloomendoom

Pixie5740 wrote: »

Having never been divorced (yet anyway) what do you find draconian about the divorce laws? .

I've been divorced. My particular experience was that it was fair to both parties.

It certainly didn't put me off getting married again.

seven-day-weekend

Pixie5740 wrote: »

I saw this on the BBC website earlier:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-42134722

Resolution carried out a survey which found two-thirds of cohabiting couples wrongly believe "common-law marriage" laws exist when dividing up finances.

Resolution chairman Nigel Shepherd said current laws were "behind the times".
He said: "The government must listen to the public, legal professionals and a growing number of politicians who all agree that we need reform to provide basic rights to cohabiting couples should they separate."

What do you think? My view is that marriage is a contract and if you don't enter into it then you can't expect the protection of the law when things go down the pooper.

I agree with you.

It's like expecting a payout if your house burns down, even though you haven't bothered to take out any insurance.

onomatopoeia99

Pixie5740 wrote: »

Having never been divorced (yet anyway) what do you find draconian about the divorce laws?

The need for fault if you don't want to wait five years to divorce an uncooperative partner would be my starter for 10. In fact, the very concept of "fault" in divorce, as well as the wait if you don't use it.