Co-habiting partners should have same inheritance rights as married couples, government legals advisers have said, according to the Law Commission.
In news that may prove interesting to divorce lawyers, the body (cited by Mail Online) has recommended that unmarried couples should be able to inherit from each other should one die intestate.
Currently, live-in partners' inheritance is determined by laws passed in 1925, which state that there is no automatic right to the property. While the surviving partner can contest this in court, there is no guarantee of success.
The Law Commission believes that the laws are far outdated. Therefore, it has recommended couples who have cohabited for a minimum of five years should inherit the right to the other's estate. This should be reduced to just two years if the couple have children living at the home.
Leading the project, Law Commissioner Professor Elizabeth Cooke told The Telegraph: "The recommendations we present today follow extensive research and consultation on how the law of inheritance should operate in the 21st century.
"They would benefit many thousands of people at one of the most difficult times of their lives. At the same time, they preserve one of our important freedoms, namely the right to choose to whom we leave property by will."
However, critics have accused the Law Commission of trying to pass a cohabitation law which will weaken the concept of a traditional family. The Commission responded that the recommendations were simply a reflection of the acceptance and prevalence of living together.
