1 Living Together: The Legal Companion for Unmarried Couples | p. 1 |
2 The Legal State of Living Together | p. 7 |
Sex and the Law | p. 8 |
Domestic Partners | p. 10 |
Common Law Marriage | p. 13 |
Living Together Contracts | p. 17 |
Why You Need to Put Your Living Together Agreement in Writing | p. 25 |
What Happens to Your Written Living Together Agreement If You Get Married? | p. 28 |
Special Issues for Seniors | p. 32 |
3 Living Together Agreements: Why and How They Work | p. 35 |
Ten Tips for Writing a Living Together Agreement | p. 39 |
Property Agreements | p. 43 |
Agreement to Share Ownership of a Joint Purchase | p. 57 |
Agreement Covering Joint Projects | p. 65 |
Agreement Covering Homemaker Services | p. 67 |
Agreement for Artists, Writers, and Inventors | p. 71 |
Agreement for People in School | p. 75 |
Agreement to Protect Person Who Moves a Long Distance or Gives Up a job | p. 79 |
4 Debt, Credit, Taxes, and More: Practical Aspects of Living Together | p. 81 |
Debt and Credit | p. 83 |
How (and Why) to Check Your Credit Report | p. 86 |
Buying and Investing Together | p. 90 |
Discrimination | p. 92 |
Sharing Your Last Name | p. 97 |
Income Taxes | p. 99 |
Social Security | p. 103 |
Retirement Plans | p. 105 |
Public Benefits | p. 108 |
Insurance | p. 109 |
Liability for Medical Care of a Partner | p. 114 |
Making Medical and Financial Decisions for Your Partner | p. 114 |
Wrongful Death and Loss of Consortium Lawsuits | p. 119 |
5 Renting and Sharing a Home | p. 121 |
Discrimination on the Basis of Marital Status | p. 122 |
Leases and Rental Agreements | p. 125 |
Moving In Together | p. 126 |
Dealing With Objections When Moving Into the Rental Home of One Partner | p. 132 |
Getting Your Security Deposit Back | p. 138 |
6 Buying a House Together | p. 141 |
May Sellers Discriminate Against Unmarried Buyers? | p. 144 |
How to Find and Work With a Real Estate Agent | p. 145 |
Househunting Online | p. 148 |
Home Financing and Mortgages | p. 148 |
Proceeding With Your Purchase: Offers, Inspections, Escrow, and Closing | p. 158 |
Taking Title to Your New Home | p. 161 |
Contracts for Couples Owning a Home Together | p. 170 |
Contracts for Equal Ownership of a House | p. 172 |
Contract for Unequal Ownership of a House | p. 187 |
Agreement for One Person to Move Into the Other's House and Become an Immediate Co-Owner | p. 192 |
Agreement for One Person to Move Into the Other's House and Become a Co-Owner Gradually | p. 199 |
7 Starting a Family | p. 205 |
Having a Child: Legal Obligations of Unmarried Parents | p. 206 |
Naming the Baby and Getting a Birth Certificate | p. 207 |
Naming the Father: Paternity | p. 208 |
Legitimacy of Children Born to Unmarried Parents | p. 212 |
Adopting a Child | p. 217 |
Public and Private Benefits for a Child of Unmarried Parents | p. 221 |
Inheritance Rights of a Child of Unmarried Parents | p. 222 |
8 You and Your Ex-Spouse and Children From a Prior Relationship | p. 223 |
Getting a Divorce While Living With Someone Else | p. 225 |
Living Together and Impact on Custody of Children From a Prior Marriage | p. 231 |
Visitation With Children From a Prior Marriage | p. 238 |
Child Support for Children From a Prior Marriage | p. 239 |
The Effect of Living Together on Alimony and Child Support From a Prior Marriage | p. 241 |
9 Wills and Estate Planning | p. 245 |
What Happens If You Don't Do Any Estate Planning? | p. 246 |
Typical Estate Plans | p. 247 |
Figuring Out What You Own: Taking Inventory | p. 249 |
An Introduction to Wills | p. 252 |
Avoiding Probate | p. 258 |
Estate and Gift Taxes | p. 264 |
Balancing the Needs of Your Partner and Your Children | p. 268 |
Funerals and Other Final Arrangements | p. 272 |
10 Moving On-When Unmarried Couples Separate | p. 275 |
Rules of the Unmarried Dissolution | p. 278 |
The Process of Separation | p. 280 |
Ten Steps to Resolving Your Conflicts | p. 289 |
Mediation, Arbitration, and Other Ways to Resolve Disputes | p. 293 |
Lawyers and Lawsuits: Going to Court | p. 301 |
Solutions for Typical Property Division Problems | p. 303 |
Tenants: Who Gets the Rental? | p. 304 |
Homeowners: Dividing the House | p. 305 |
Putting It All Together: Preparing a Settlement Agreement | p. 316 |
Children: Custody, Visitation, and Support | p. 316 |
11 Lawyers and Legal Research | p. 329 |
When to Hire a Lawyer | p. 331 |
How to Find a Good Lawyer | p. 332 |
Appendix: How to Use the Downloadable Forms on the Nolo Website | p. 339 |
Editing RTFs | p. 340 |
List of Forms Available on the Nolo Website | p. 341 |
Index | p. 343 |