Living Together: A Legal Guide for Unmarried Couples

Table of Contents......Page 10
1 Living Together: An Introduction......Page 14
2 The Legal State of Living Together......Page 18
A. Sex and the Law......Page 19
B. Common Law Marriage......Page 20
C. Living Together Contracts......Page 21
D. To Be Safe, Write It Down......Page 26
E. What Happens to Your Written Living Together Agreement If You Get Married?......Page 27
F. Domestic Partners......Page 28
3 Living Together Agreements: Why and How......Page 30
A. Ten Tips for Writing a Living Together Agreement......Page 32
B. Property Agreements......Page 33
C. Agreement to Share Ownership of a Joint Purchase......Page 42
D. Agreement Covering Joint Projects......Page 46
E. Agreement Covering Homemaker Services......Page 48
F. Agreement for Artists and Inventors......Page 50
G. Agreement for People in School......Page 52
H. Agreement to Protect Person Who Moves a Long Distance or Gives Up a Job......Page 54
4 Debt, Credit, Taxes, and More: Practical Aspects of Living Together......Page 56
A. Debt and Credit......Page 58
B. Buying and Investing Together......Page 61
C. Discrimination......Page 62
D. Sharing Your Last Name......Page 64
E. Income Taxes......Page 65
F. Social Security......Page 67
G. Retirement Plans......Page 68
H. Public Benefits......Page 69
I. Insurance......Page 70
K. Making Medical and Financial Decisions for Your Partner......Page 72
L. Wrongful Death and Loss of Consortium Lawsuits......Page 74
5 Renting and Sharing a Home......Page 76
A. Discrimination on the Basis of Marital Status......Page 77
B. Leases and Rental Agreements......Page 78
C. Moving In Together......Page 79
D. Moving Into the Rental Home of One Partner......Page 80
E. Getting Your Security Deposit Back......Page 85
6 Buying a House Together......Page 88
A. May Sellers Discriminate Against Unmarried Buyers?......Page 90
B. How to Find and Work With a Real Estate Agent......Page 91
D. Home Financing and Mortgages......Page 92
E. Proceeding With Your Purchase: Offers, Inspections, Escrow, and Closing......Page 96
F. Taking Title to Your New Home......Page 98
G. Contracts for Couples Owning a Home Together......Page 101
H. Contract for Equal Ownership of a House......Page 102
I. Contract for Unequal Ownership of a House......Page 109
J. Agreement for One Person to Move Into the Other’s House and Become an Immediate Co-Owner......Page 113
K. Agreement for One Person to Move Into the Other’s House and Become a Co-Owner Gradually......Page 117
7 Starting a Family......Page 122
B. Naming the Baby and Getting a Birth Certificate......Page 123
C. Naming the Father: Paternity......Page 124
D. Legitimacy of Children Born to Unmarried Parents......Page 126
E. Adopting a Child......Page 129
G. Inheritance Rights of a Child of Unmarried Parents......Page 131
8 You and Your Ex-Spouse and Children From a Prior Relationship......Page 134
A. Getting a Divorce While Living With Someone Else......Page 135
B. Living Together and Impact on Custody of Children From a Prior Marriage......Page 138
C. Visitation With Children From a Prior Marriage......Page 142
D. Child Support for Children From a Prior Marriage......Page 143
E. The Effect of Living Together on Alimony and Child Support From a Prior Marriage......Page 144
9 Wills and Estate Planning......Page 146
B. The Effect of Living Together Contracts......Page 148
C. Figuring Out What You Own: Taking Inventory......Page 149
D. An Introduction to Wills......Page 151
E. Preparing a Basic Will......Page 153
F. Avoiding Probate......Page 163
G. Estate and Gift Taxes......Page 168
H. Balancing the Needs of Your Partner and Your Children......Page 175
I. Funerals and Other Final Arrangements......Page 177
10 Moving On—When Unmarried Couples Separate......Page 178
A. Rules of the Unmarried Dissolution......Page 179
B. The Process of Separation......Page 180
C. Ten Steps to Resolving Your Conflicts......Page 185
D. Mediation, Arbitration, and Other Ways to Resolve Disputes......Page 187
E. Lawyers and Lawsuits: Going to Court......Page 191
F. Solutions for Property Division Problems......Page 192
G. Putting It All Together: Preparing a Settlement Agreement......Page 197
H. Children: Custody, Visitation, and Support......Page 199
11 Lawyers and Legal Research......Page 206
A. Doing Your Own Legal Research......Page 207
B. Hiring a Lawyer......Page 210
Appendix I: How to Use the CD-ROM......Page 214
B. Using the Word Processing Files to Create Documents......Page 215
Appendix II: Tear-Out Forms......Page 218
Agreement of Joint Intent Not to Have a Common Law Marriage......Page 220
Agreement to Keep Property Separate......Page 222
Attachment A Separately Owned Property......Page 224
Agreement to Share Property......Page 226
Attachment B Jointly Owned Property......Page 228
Agreement for a Joint Purchase......Page 230
Agreement Covering Rented Living Space of us.......Page 232
Letter Requesting Permission to Add a Roommate......Page 234
Contract for Equal Ownership of a House......Page 236
Promissory Note (Loan Repayable in Installments With Interest)......Page 238
Contract for Unequal Ownership of a House the......Page 240
Agreement for One Person to Move Into the Other’s House and Become an Immediate Co-Owner......Page 242
Agreement for One Person to Move Into the Other’s House and Become a Co-Owner Gradually follows: $ . split equally......Page 246
Acknowledgment of Parenthood......Page 250
Will......Page 252
Codicil......Page 256
Short-Term Agreement Regarding Separation and Housing......Page 258
Agreement to Protect Property During a Split-Up......Page 260
Agreement to Mediate and Arbitrate......Page 262
Home Buyout Agreement......Page 264
Index......Page 266