Unmarried Partners and Real Estate Ownership

Like a marriage, every domestic partnership or other non-marital relationship ends with either separation or death.

If it ends with separation, the former partners may not remain friendly. If it ends with death, the surviving partner may not be friendly with the deceased partner's heirs. Either way, there may be a property dispute. Non-marital relationships are unlike marriages in that there is no well-developed body of law to govern property rights following separation or death. Resolving property disputes based on non-marital relationships can be expensive, time-consuming and personally destructive. In addition, both the beginning and the end of an unmarried couple's relationship can have income and property tax consequences which can be minimized or even eliminated with planning.

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