Living together : a legal guide for unmarried couples

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Title:

Living together : a legal guide for unmarried couples

Alternate title:

Nolo : living together : a legal guide for unmarried couples

Author:

Hertz, Frederick, author.

Guillen, Lina, author.

Summary:

Laws that protect married couples―on property ownership, divorce, inheritance rights, and more―don't apply to unmarried couples. To define and protect your relationship―and your assets―you need to take specific legal steps and use the right documents. Whether you're just starting out or are one of the growing number of older couples who choose to live together, this revised edition has the information you need. It covers all the big issues facing unmarried couples living together, including: Money and Property: Clarify how you'll share money and other assets; Estate Planning: Leave your assets to whomever you wish, including children form a prior marriage; Breaking Up: Divide property and share child custody fairly; Children: Protect your kids by confirming that you are their legal parents; The House: If you buy a house together, spell out ownership shares in writing; Medical Decisions: Make important medical decisions for each other if necessary.

General Note:

Includes index.

Edition:

16th edition.

Physical Description:

262 pages ; 23 cm

Genre:

Law for laypersons.

Subject Term:

Unmarried couples -- Legal status, laws, etc.

Author(s):

Guillen, Lina,

Publisher:

Nolo,

Publication Date:

2017

ISBN:

9781413323795

Publication Information:

Berkeley, California : Nolo, 2017.

Call Number:

346.01671 HERTZ

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Copy	Status	Item Holds
33607003272112	Adult Nonfiction	346.01671 HERTZ	2017	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

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Summary

All the law cohabiting couples need to know

Laws that protect married couples--on property ownership, divorce, inheritance rights, and more--don't apply to unmarried couples. To define and protect your relationship--and your assets--you need to take specific legal steps and use the right documents.

Whether you're just starting out or are one of the growing number of older couples who choose to live together, this revised edition has the information you need. It covers all the big issues facing unmarried couples living together, including:

Money and Property
Clarify how you'll share money and other assets.

Estate Planning
Leave your assets to whomever you wish, including children form a prior marriage.

Breaking Up
Divide property and share child custody fairly.

Children
Protect your kids by confirming that you are their legal parents.

The House
If you buy a house together, spell out ownership shares in writing.

Medical Decisions
Make important medical decisions for each other if necessary.

Author Notes

Frederick Hertz is a practicing attorney and coauthor of Nolo's A Legal Guide for Lesbian Gay Couples and Making It Legal: A Guide to Same-Sex Marriage, Domestic Partnership Civil Unions.
Lina Guillen is a Nolo editor and trial attorney, with over 15 years of experience in family law and civil litigation, in addition to being the coauthor of Divorce Money, Lina has been quoted in several publications, including U.S. News, CNBC.com, and Real Simple Magazine.

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

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Bound With These Titles

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Summary

Summary

Author Notes

Table of Contents