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Without marriage, you don't have a legal framework for breaking up. I know a couple who broke up after 25+ years, a mortgage, and a child together, who had never married. I think the lack of applicable legal precedent made it even messier to negotiate the split. It's been several years now, they're still negotiating details, and the lawyers aren't any cheaper.

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If they’re buying a house together and don’t have at least a basic legal contract around that to cover this scenario - yikes.

There is a lot of existing precedent with marriage that can provide some of that, but it’s terrible. It is something though, no question about it.

Kids, child support and custody is handled separately (kinda) anyway, but if they didn’t already have that discussed or worked out, also yikes.

Agreed. You are making the case for why marriage should be a private contract and not a government-sanctioned institution.

Marriage is a private contract. It is just subject to specific rules. Employment is a private contract too as much as employment is a government sanctioned institution.. Really what the institution of marriage gets you is a tax break. But we also had the mortgage deduction in the past too.

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