Ever heard the phrase 'common law wife' or 'common law husband'? It is one of the great fallacies that such law exists – trust us, it doesn't.

If you are planning to live with your partner and you intend to buy a property between you, you need a co-habitation agreement. It sounds clinical and feels like it is undermining your feelings for each-other. It actually makes more sense though to discuss and resolve this whilst your relationship is solid than when you can't even agree on who owns what CDs.

It is a legally binding document that sets out who owns what and in what shares. Without it your legal position is precarious and will be costly to figure out should your relationship breakdown.

It's simple and painless to draw up and we can help you decide on a schedule of your joint and individual assets. You then sign it and you partner takes it to another lawyer to obtain independent advice. Once you have both signed it, it is a legally binding document unless your circumstances change – and you both have the comfort of knowing exactly where you are.

This area of law is very complex and your first step would be to talk to us and we can assess whether or not you have a claim to any property and the likely costs of pursuing the claim. You will need to be able to prove you are entitled to a share of any property and how you do that depends on what it is and the circumstances surrounding the purchase.