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Cohabitation Agreements
For couples living together or about to.
Family Law · Cohabitation & Marriage Agreements
Cohabitation Agreements That Protect What You Each Bring
In BC, after two years of living together in a marriage-like relationship, you're treated as spouses under the Family Law Act, including how property and debt are divided if you separate. A cohabitation agreement lets you decide those terms yourselves, in advance.
Plan ahead
Clear terms now, fewer disputes later
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Your terms, not the default
Decide in advance how property, debt and support would be handled.
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Built to hold up
Full disclosure and independent advice for both partners make an agreement much harder to challenge.
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Direct access
You work with Manvir Hundal from first conversation to signing.
How it works
How we prepare your agreement
Both partners take part, and each gets their own legal advice. Here's how it usually works.
01ConsultationWhat each of you owns, owes and wants to protect.
02Financial disclosureBoth partners exchange financial information. This is key to an agreement that holds up.
03Drafting and negotiationWe draft the agreement and work through changes.
04Independent advice and signingYour partner gets advice from their own lawyer, then you both sign.
What we help with
How We Can Help
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Marriage Agreements
For couples planning to marry.
03
Protecting a Home or Down Payment
When one partner owns or contributes more to a property.
04
Businesses, Gifts and Inheritances
Keeping excluded property and its growth clearly protected.
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Spousal Support Terms
Setting expectations about support if the relationship ends.
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Updating an Existing Agreement
When circumstances change, such as children, a new property or marriage.
Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
When should we sign a cohabitation agreement?
Ideally before moving in or early in the relationship, but it can be signed at any time.
Do we both need lawyers?
Yes. Each partner should get independent legal advice from their own lawyer. It's an important part of making the agreement hold up.
What happens without an agreement?
After two years in a marriage-like relationship, the Family Law Act's default rules on property, debt and spousal support apply as if you were married.
Can the agreement decide parenting or child support?
Terms about children are always subject to the child's best interests, so a court can override them. Agreements focus mainly on property, debt and spousal support.
What if we get married later?
A well-drafted agreement can say it continues if you marry. We'll make sure yours does if that's what you want.
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Your future matters
Moving In Together? Start With Clarity
Protect what you each bring before it becomes a question.