MORE couples than ever are choosing to live together without marrying. But cohabitees don’t benefit from the same legal protections as married couples in the event of a breakup, leaving the financially weaker party at risk.

With this in mind , Rayden Solicitors has analysed which Welsh councils are seeing the highest number of homelessness applications linked to relationship breakdowns, highlighting the scale of the issue.

Wales recorded 15,780 homelessness applications linked to relationship breakdowns between 2020 and 2025, ranking second across the regions analysed.

Cohabitation is now one of the fastest-growing family structures, rising by 144 per cent between 1996 and 2021, and now accounting for 17.7 per cent of all families in the UK. However, many feel that legal protections have not kept pace with this shift. Unlike married couples or those in civil partnerships, those living together often have limited rights over property, finances and housing, leaving many vulnerable at the point of separation.

Among the Welsh councils with the highest number of homelessness applications due to relationship breakdown (2020–2025), Carmarthenshire County Council (1,480) and Pembrokeshire County Council (1,433) came fourth and fifth respectively, suggesting that both urban and more rural authorities are affected.

In the same period, Pembrokeshire saw a noticeable increase, with homelessness applications due to relationship breakdown up 35.4 per cent.

Lehna Gardiner, Partner at Rayden Solicitors, explains:

“Under the current law, cohabitees have limited rights compared to those who are married. When married couples divorce, they have significant legal protection within the family law framework. The parties’ and children’s needs are prioritised and the principles of equality and fairness are applied. If a spouse were to pass away, then the living spouse has automatic rights to inheritance, pension and insurance, among others.

For cohabiting couples, these principles unfortunately do not apply. This specifically leaves the financially weaker party in a vulnerable position in the event of a break-up. Often, these are women who have focused less on their careers in order to look after children. Cohabiting couples cannot rely on the family law framework and have no financial responsibility to one another on separation.”

There are certain steps that cohabiting couples can take to help protect themselves:

  1. If couples are purchasing a property together, make sure it is legally owned in a way that reflects the parties’ intentions.
  2. Enter into a cohabitation agreement dealing with the parties’ intentions regarding joint property, finances and arrangements for children.
  3. Ensure wills are up-to-date.