Martin Lewis issued warning to couples living together in the UK

Martin Lewis gave a firm warning to couples who live together in the UK.

The Money Saving Expert said there’s a few financial complications if you live with your partner, but you’re not legally bound together.

Yes, in case you can’t see where this one’s going, the money man encourages marriage as a remedy.

Marriage may seem like the most natural progression if you’ve dated and lived together for several years but the concept is also viewed by some as outdated and unnecessary.

However, Lewis previously urged co-habiting couples who haven't yet tied the knot to reconsider for the sake of making future legal issues easier to deal with.

In a previous Money Saving Expert newsletter, Lewis drew attention to the complications which can arise if partners who live together aren't married.

While the idea of marriage may seem a bit old fashioned, Lewis explained it can be handy to at least enter a civil partnership or write a clear will or contract so your partner can have easier - and lawful - access to all your assets should you pass away.

Inheritance law not only comes with a whopping great big tax on anything the deceased owns, but also means a partner has no status unless they are in a civil partnership or married to their significant other.

David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images

This means if your partner did pass away, you may end up with nothing. For example, even if you'd both shared a flat for years, it's not rightfully yours and you have no status to claim it unless legally tied to them.

The conversation isn't exactly the easiest one to have and after a long day at work when you probably want nothing more than to sit in front of the telly and catch up with the latest Gogglebox.

However, Lewis stressed just how necessary it is to deal with such 'unpleasant issues' and to be as 'blunt' and 'candid' as possible.

If you get the chat out of the way and come to some sort of solution - whether it be a will, marriage or civil partnership - it means your significant other (or child or whoever you want to leave your belongings, money or property to) will have legal access to your 'estate'.

On the slightly less morbid - but still depressing - note, Lewis also advised partners to draw up a 'cohabitation agreement' which can make financial matters easier if you and your partner go your separate ways while still both alive.

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The Money Saving Expert stated: "If you live with your partner, but are neither married nor in a civil partnership, you may want to consider drawing up a 'cohabitation agreement' in addition to writing a will.

"While a will determines what happens to your assets and belongings once you die, a cohabitation agreement spells out what happens if your relationship breaks down – so a bit like a will for the living."

Such an agreement can also protect from financial abuse and is 'strongest if both partners have had independent legal advice and haven't signed under duress'.

Appointing a Power of Attorney is also important in case you end up being diagnosed with an illness such as dementia or you suffer from a stroke and subsequently don't have the mental capacity to make decisions yourself.

So you may as well take the bull by the horns, get the conversation over with and get back to Gogglebox in no time.

Topics: Martin Lewis, Money, Life, Sex and Relationships

Jess Battison

Jess is an Entertainment Journalist with a love of all things pop culture. Her main interests include keeping up with the Twitter girlies, waiting for a new series of The Traitors and losing her voice at a Beyoncé concert. She graduated with a first in Journalism from City, University of London in 2021 and has previously worked at MyLondon.

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