Cohabitation Rights Bill [HL]: HL Bill 14 of 2026–27
The Cohabitation Rights Bill [HL] is a private member’s bill introduced by Lord Marks of Henley-on-Thames (Liberal Democrat). The bill would provide certain protections for cohabiting couples, for example in the event one of them dies. Its second reading is scheduled for 17 July 2026.
Approximate read time: 15 minutes
The bill proposes to establish a framework of rights for cohabiting couples following the breakdown of the relationship or the death of one of the cohabitants.
The bill’s provisions would apply only to those cohabiting couples who either had a dependent child or had been living together as a couple for a minimum of three years. The bill would provide the right for either cohabitant, upon the breakdown of the relationship, to apply to a court for a financial settlement order to redress a financial benefit or an economic disadvantage resulting from the period of cohabitation. The bill would provide the right for cohabitants to opt-out of the financial settlement provisions, if they both agreed. In addition, the bill would provide cohabitants with the right to succeed to their partner’s estate under the intestacy rules and the right to have an insurable interest in the life of their partner, similar to the rights of married and civil partnered couples.
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