Non-marital Cohabitation Agreement

In the last few decades, more and more couples have chosen to live together rather than get married for a variety of reasons. In these types of relationships, each partner may have different ideas about how money is managed or debt is paid. If the couple splits and there is no agreement stating who will own what assets or who will pay what debts, a court may infer an enforceable agreement actually exists! The good news is that most states that will infer an unwritten enforceable cohabitation agreement (palimony, property splitting, etc.) will also abide by a written nonmarital cohabitation agreement signed by the parties. This document is designed for the use of couples who are not married, but share the same home. Its purpose is to let each person maintain separate property, define how jointly purchased property will be distributed in case of separation, and outline how household expenses are divided.