Blog

Moving in with your partner can be an exciting and significant milestone in a relationship. It can bring a sense of closeness and shared responsibility, as well as the opportunity to learn more about each other's daily routines and habits. But as well as considering who will put the bins out every week, if you are one of the 3.6 million people cohabiting in the UK (i.e. living with your partner but not married to them), then it is important you think about the future and consider what could happen to you in the event of a breakup.

A crucial factor to establish, for any separating couple, is the date you view the marriage / partnership to be at an end as this is when the courts will take a snapshot of your financial situation for settlement purposes. The date of separation is more commonly known in Family Law as the ‘relevant date’ and is vital to enable parties to negotiate a fair and equitable division of the net matrimonial property (‘matrimonial pot’).  In many cases there will be a clear date of separation and parties can confirm the relevant date prior to obtaining legal advice on separation/divorce.  However, if parties are not able to agree and there is a significant discrepancy between the two dates proposed by parties, this may significantly affect what is included within the matrimonial pot.

Macnabs is one of the leading firms of solicitors in Perthshire and Tayside. Due to continued growth, we are seeking to recruit an experienced secretary to strengthen our busy family team in Perth.

Raising a child comes with many financial implications and after parents separate child maintenance is often a very contentious issue. All parents have responsibilities and when a parent doesn’t have a child live with them full time or on a fully shared care basis, there is often child maintenance to be paid to support the upkeep of the child when in the care of the resident parent and to cover every day needs such as food, clothing and housing.