Some couples, due to reasons of their own, decide to live together without marriage. Such relationships are often called live-in relationship or “living together” relations. The main ingredient in a live-in relation is the absence of marriage.

In a live-in relationship, there is less complication in the event of breakup between the couple. It grants a lot of freedom to the couple to hold title to any major purchases in the name of the person who actually buys the item. Couples are at liberty to maintain separate funds. Unlike the married couples, the couples in live-in relationships maintain accurate records in case of joint contributions.

Couples entering into live-in relations should take vigilant measures to protect their individual rights relating to property, children and so on. Therefore, couples ought to consider getting into a contract about living arrangements so that they can amicably settle issues if they do decide to separate or if one of the partners dies.

A typical "living together" contract must include details of personal properties as well as any joint properties and details with regard to sharing of common expenses during the living together period. Apart from the aforementioned, the couple should also incorporate provisions on how things shall work at the time of any possible separation or in the ill-fated event of a partner’s death.

The law does not provide for any rights to couples who are not legally married no matter how long the relationship lasts. The couples are treated as separate individuals with no rights or responsibilities if the relationship ends or in case of one of the parties dies. So it is advisable for unmarried couples to have a property agreement. A property agreement can be molded to include all those terms a couple desire to include.

When a child is born to an unmarried couple, various measures are to be taken to ensure that they are both considered the legal parents of their child. They should take care to see that both their names exist on the child’s birth certificate, so that they can both be considered the child's legal parents. In turn, to be listed on a child's birth certificate, unmarried fathers are usually required to sign an affidavit saying that a child is theirs so that the father’s name can appear on the birth certificate. In order to make sure the child is eligible for governmental benefits, the birth certificate and paternity issues are to be resolved as soon as the child’s birth.

All those couples living together, whether homosexual or heterosexual, are granted with the opportunity to enjoy some of the benefits of marriage by registering their relationship at a government office and declare that they are in a committed relationship. Domestic partnership laws are not uniform in all places as it keeps changing along with the jurisdiction.

Usually partners are not permitted to handle medical or financial decisions for each other without signed authorization. Therefore, to make sure that critical decisions stay in the hands on one’s partner, health care directives and a durable Power of Attorney for finances are to be handed to one’s partner. This will enable one’s partner to handle financial transactions on the other partner’s behalf.

Great precautions are to be taken by the unmarried couple while preparing a will. A will is a legal document in which a person states various intentions about what he wants to be done with his assets, debts, liabilities and minor children after his death. Partners in live-in relations should be cautious in naming the executor of the will, as well as who is to manage the testator’s property until the beneficiary reaches a certain age. A specific provision should be incorporated which expressly excludes the relative from inheriting any property.