Unmarried couples do not enjoy the same legal rights as a couple who are in a civil partnership or who are married. It does not matter how long you have lived together, you still do not have the same rights as a married couple should your relationship breakdown.

Legally speaking there is no such thing as a ‘Common-law Husband/Wife’ and living together does not provide you with additional legal rights. If you separate from the partner that you are living with, but are not married to, you will have to rely upon civil law.

Partners planning on buying a property together often consider making a Declaration of Trust

A Declaration of Trust sets out each party’s specific beneficial interest in the property and can also detail other terms and provision that you may wish to include. For example, details of how expenses relating to the property will be paid or what happens to the property in the event of separation.

You should consider making a Declaration of Trust particularly if you are purchasing a property which will be held in unequal shares, with one party holding a greater interest in the property than the other.

You should also consider whether it is appropriate to enter into a Cohabitation Agreement.

If you and your partner have a valid Declaration of Trust or entered into a Cohabitation Agreement any property dispute should be able to be dealt with swiftly and without significant legal costs.

In the absence of these documents, the court will consider the legal ownership of the property. It will be up to the party not named on the title deeds to prove that they have an interest vested in the property.

Before court proceedings are issued, the parties are expected to take measures to attempt to settle the dispute such as forms of alternate dispute resolution, most commonly, mediation/and or arbitration.

Where there is a dispute before the court there can be a substantial amount of documentary evidence to be considered such as contributions made towards the property, when the property was purchased, any renovations or mortgage repayments. It is imperative that evidence is retained so that this can be provided to the court, if required.

Be wary. In civil court proceedings, legal costs orders are often made in favour of the winning party. As such, the losing party usually has to pay their own legal fees together with a substantial contribution to the other party’s legal fees.

You will not be liable for any debts that are only in your partner’s name however, if you have a joint bank account you may be liable for any debts and charges in relation to that account.

You should seek to remove your name from any joint accounts as soon as possible and where necessary seek to reach an agreement as to what should happen to any funds held in the account(s).

If you jointly own a property, any county court judgements can be pursued against the property, even if the debt was not in your name originally but in the name of the party you jointly own the property with.

Unmarried couples do not enjoy the same legal rights as married couples or those who have entered into a civil partnership. There is currently no duty for an unmarried partner to support the other partner financially and claims cannot be made in respect of pensions.

If you have children you may be entitled to child maintenance. See more information on making a child maintenance arrangement on the government's website.

If your partner dies without leaving a Will, you will not automatically inherit any of their assets. You may inherit jointly owned property but this will depend on the legal ownership of the property and how it is held.

It is possible to make a claim from your partner’s estate if they die without leaving you with the means to live.