When unmarried individuals plan to share a household, they may first wish to create a written agreement regarding their respective rights and responsibilities. A cohabitation agreement is usually intended to become a contract, which does not require any Court intervention unless or until enforcement is sought. Participants choose mediation to negotiate their cohabitation agreements so that their concerns and wishes can be discussed in a manner which fosters their intent to amicably cohabitate. Some of the cohabitation agreement issues commonly discussed are:
- Division of day-to-day household responsibilities
- Respective financial contributions to household expenses
- Terms relating to the purchase, ownership, rent and/or debts relating to the real estate
- Disposition of any joint assets or debts if cohabitation ends