Cohabiting couples are the fastest growing family type, with 3.3 million unmarried couples living together in 2017, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

This is a 14 percent increase from 2.9 million five years before, Boodle Hatfield explained. In comparison, the number of married couple families has increased just four percent over the same period.

Many cohabitees mistakenly believe ‘common law marriage’ exists in the UK and that long-term cohabiting couples have the same rights as married couples on relationship breakdown.

However, Katie Male, associate at Boodle Hatfield, highlighted ...