What property rights do unmarried couples have?

Unmarried couples can sometimes experience similar family law issues that married couples do. Although these two people are not married, there is still a chance that they will decide to advance their relationship and purchase a home or other property with one another. This may seem like a good idea at the time, but should the relationship end, both parties will have to deal with the issue of property division.

Even if an unmarried couple has been together for a long period of time, the law will typically treat them as separate individuals in regard to property issues once they split. This means that if a piece of property, say a house, is only in the name of one party, the other party will likely have no claim for division. The exception being if there is proof that the other party in some way contributed financially to the payment of the mortgage and other such related costs.

It is common for those who are unmarried to have disputes over property when the relationship is over. Since they did not take the necessary steps in determining how property should be divided in the event of a split, they may have to have the matter settled by the court. If they do have to go to court and let a judge determine how to divide property, it is possible that neither party may be happy with the outcome

Whenever two people have an issue with property division, they may want to speak to an attorney. Whether or not the couple are married or unmarried, they will have to sort out this issue before they go their separate ways. An attorney can offer help resolving any property division issues, as well as address a number of other legal issues that may arise when two people decided they no longer want to be together.