On living together
Money, law, numbers and everyday life – on sharing a home with someone. Every article has sources.
Everything worth knowing when you share a home with someone: how couples split the money, what the law says about living together without being married, and the practical side of moving in. Every article is based on official sources and statistics, and we update them when the figures change. Nothing here is legal advice – for your own situation, it is worth asking a lawyer.
Start here
Money
Joint finances or separate?
Split it equally, by income or through a joint account: three ways couples share costs, a worked example and the questions worth talking about.
4 min read
Work out how to split your costs
Enter your incomes and the costs you share, and the calculator shows what each of you pays: equally, by income, or so you both have the same left.
2 min read
Which app should couples use to split costs?
Splitwise, Tricount, Cupla and Sambo compared using only what each app says about itself in the UK App Store. Who each one is made for, and what to ask yourselves.
5 min read
Splitting the rent when you earn different amounts
Equally, by income or so you both have the same left? Three ways for couples to split the rent and bills when one earns more, with a worked example in pounds.
4 min read
Buying a home together without being married
Joint tenants or tenants in common, Stamp Duty and first-time buyer relief, and a declaration of trust: what unmarried couples should know before buying in England.
5 min read
Children's costs in a stepfamily
Who pays for the child in shared care, who gets Child Benefit and does a new partner pay for a stepchild? Rules from GOV.UK and the Child Maintenance Service.
5 min read
Law
Cohabiting or married?
There is no 'common-law marriage' in England. Australia treats long-term couples almost like spouses. A calm comparison, with sources.
5 min read
When unmarried couples separate
Who owns what, who can stay in the home and what applies to the children? The rules for unmarried couples who separate in England and Wales, and a practical list.
5 min read
A glossary for couples who live together
What is common-law marriage, a declaration of trust, tenants in common, parental responsibility or a MIAM? The words that come up when you live together, explained.
5 min read
Everyday life
Moving in together
Address changes, bills and insurance, who owns what and how to split the costs. The practical side of moving in together.
3 min read
How we work with sources
Where the figures in our articles come from, how we check them and how often we update them. And why we are not neutral about apps.
2 min read
Statistics
Cohabitation in numbers
3.5 million cohabiting couple families in the UK, and most Americans have lived with a partner before 45. What the statistics say.
3 min read
Cohabitation across the Nordics and Europe
How common is living together without being married in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, the UK, Spain, France and the US? Official statistics in one table.
4 min read