Many co-habiting couples enter into buying property believing that they will be entitled to the same rights as married couples yet the reality is this isn’t always the case.

The ongoing uncertainty has led to calls for a change in the law which would give co-habiting couples the same or at least similar rights to those enjoyed by married couples. According to a survey from YouGov of 1,000 co-habiting couples, 75% felt that they were entitled to be treated the same way as married couples.

Issues that are often not considered when people buy a home with a partner is how much of the house belongs to each partner. If a property is ultimately split 50/50 even though one partner invested the lions share into it, then this can be seen as very unfair.

A lot depends on circumstances with no automatic right to a share of the property.

With co-habiting couples now the fastest growing type of family in the UK, the current legislation will almost certainly lead to many more individuals suffering from unfair settlements simply because they were unsure of their rights to begin with.

Government initiatives such as Help to Buy have encouraged many people to climb onto the property ladder but for many, the first rung may be as far as they can get if they lose in a batlle to gain their fair share of a property.