Living together : a legal guide for unmarried couples

Cover
Title Page
Table of Contents
1: Living Together: The Legal Companion for Unmarried Couples
2: The Legal State of Living Together
	Sex and the Law
	Domestic Partners
	Common Law Marriage
	Living Together Contracts
	Why You Need to Put Your Living Together Agreement in Writing
	What Happens to Your Written Living Together Agreement If You Get Married?
	Special Issues for Seniors
3: Living Together Agreements: Why and How They Work
	Ten Tips for Writing a Living Together Agreement
	Property Agreements
	Agreement to Share Ownership of a Joint Purchase
	Agreement Covering Joint Projects
	Agreement Covering Homemaker Services
	Agreement for Artists, Writers, and Inventors
	Agreement for People in School
	Agreement to Protect Person Who Moves a Long Distance or Gives Up a Job
4: Debt, Credit, Taxes, and More: Practical Aspects of Living Together
	Debt and Credit
	How (and Why) to Check Your Credit Report
	Buying and Investing Together
	Discrimination
	Sharing Your Last Name
	Income Taxes
	Social Security
	Retirement Plans
	Public Benefits
	Insurance
	Liability for Medical Care of a Partner
	Making Medical and Financial Decisions for Your Partner
	Wrongful Death and Loss of Consortium Lawsuits
5: Renting and Sharing a Home
	Discrimination on the Basis of Marital Status
	Leases and Rental Agreements
	Moving In Together
	Dealing With Objections When Moving Into the Rental Home of One Partner
	Getting Your Security Deposit Back
6: Buying a House Together
	May Sellers Discriminate Against Unmarried Buyers?
	How to Find and Work With a Real Estate Agent
	Househunting Online
	Home Financing and Mortgages
	Proceeding With Your Purchase:Offers, Inspections, Escrow, and Closing
	Taking Title to Your New Home
	Contracts for Couples Owning a Home Together
	Contracts for Equal Ownership of a House
	Contract for Unequal Ownership of a House
	Agreement for One Person to Move Into the Other’s House and Become an Immediate Co-Owner
	Agreement for One Person to Move Into the Other’s House and Become a Co-Owner Gradually
7: Starting a Family
	Having a Child: Legal Obligations of Unmarried Parents
	Naming the Baby and Getting a Birth Certificate
	Naming the Father: Paternity
	Legitimacy of Children Born to Unmarried Parents
	Adopting a Child
	Public and Private Benefits for a Child of Unmarried Parents
	Inheritance Rights of a Child of Unmarried Parents
8: You and Your Ex-Spouse and Children From a Prior Relationship
	Getting a Divorce While Living With Someone Else
	Living Together and Impact on Custody of Children From a Prior Marriage
	Visitation With Children From a Prior Marriage
	Child Support for Children From a Prior Marriage
	The Effect of Living Together on Alimony and Child Support From a Prior Marriage
9: Wills and Estate Planning
	What Happens If You Don’t Do Any Estate Planning?
	Typical Estate Plans
	Figuring Out What You Own: Taking Inventory
	An Introduction to Wills
	Avoiding Probate
	Estate and Gift Taxes
	Balancing the Needs of Your Partner and Your Children
	Funerals and Other Final Arrangements
10: Moving On—When Unmarried Couples Separate
	Rules of the Unmarried Dissolution
	The Process of Separation
	Ten Steps to Resolving Your Conflicts
	Mediation, Arbitration, and Other Ways to Resolve Disputes
	Lawyers and Lawsuits: Going to Court
	Solutions for Typical Property Division Problems
	Tenants: Who Gets the Rental?
	Homeowners: Dividing the House
	Putting It All Together: Preparing a Settlement Agreement
	Children: Custody, Visitation, and Support
11: Lawyers and Legal Research
	When to Hire a Lawyer
	How to Find a Good Lawyer
Appendix: How to Use the Downloadable Forms on the Nolo Website
	Editing RTFs
	List of Forms Available on the Nolo Website
Index
Book Registration