Over recent decades, relationships in the UK have transformed, with fewer marriages and more couples choosing to live together without legal formalities. As a result, cohabitation is now one of the fastest-growing family structures, rising by 144% between 1996 and 2021, and now accounting for 17.7% of all families in the UK. However, many feel that legal protections have not kept pace with this shift.
As legal experts and cohabitation agreement solicitors, we are often asked whether current laws adequately protect couples when relationships end, especially with cohabitation reform discussions expected in Spring 2026. Unfortunately, unlike married couples or those in civil partnerships, cohabiting partners often have limited rights when it comes to property, finances, and housing, leaving many vulnerable at the point of separation.
To understand the real-world impact of these legal gaps, we analysed Freedom of Information (FOI) data from 91 local councils across England and Wales to understand the scale of homelessness applications where ‘relationship breakdown’ was recorded as a primary cause between 2020 and 2025 – highlighting the housing vulnerability couples can face when relationships end without legal protections such as cohabitation agreements.
Key findings from our analysis of 91 councils across England and Wales include:
- More than 85,000 homelessness applications in England and Wales have been attributed to relationship breakdown over the last five years
- The areas with the highest number of applications included the North West, Wales, South West, and London.
- The areas with the highest increases in applications included the East of England (185%), South East (59%), South West (25%), and London (20%).
- 2023 saw the largest year-on-year increase (10%) in homelessness applications related to relationship breakdown.
The Areas with the Highest Number of Relationship Breakdown Homelessness Applications – and What It Means for Cohabiting Couples
The North West ranks as the area with the highest number of applications of all across England and Wales, recording a total of 17,504 over the last five years.
Wales ranked second with 15,780 applications. This was followed by the South West (9,390) and London (8,795).
The West Midlands, East of England, and West Yorkshire ranked among the lowest, with fewer than 5,000 applications recorded across the five years, respectively.
“While this data captures relationship breakdown more broadly, it highlights a wider housing risk that many couples face when relationships end”, says Kayleigh Biswas-Gregory, Senior Associate.
“It is a common misconception that unmarried couples have the same financial rights against each other on the breakdown of the relationship as married or civil partnered couples do. Sadly, the myth of the “common law marriage” is just that, a myth, and cohabiting couples’ rights are, in fact, very different.”
The Areas with the Largest Increases in Relationship Breakdown Homelessness Applications
Despite ranking amongst the lowest for overall applications, the East of England has seen the largest increase in homelessness applications due to relationship breakdown over the last five years, increasing by 185% – from 260 to 742. Overall, 3,551 applications were recorded during this time period.
This was followed by the South East (+59%), South West (+25%), and London (+20%), with the capital recording a total of 8,795 applications across five years.
The Councils with the Highest Number of Relationship Breakdown Homelessness Applications
The data also highlights a number of councils where homelessness applications linked to relationship breakdown are consistently high, with many local authorities recording hundreds of cases each year.
Looking at individual local authorities, Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council recorded the highest number of homelessness applications linked to relationship breakdown, with 3,362 cases reported between 2020 and 2025.
Somerset Council followed closely behind with 3,236 applications, while Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council recorded 2,712 over the same five-year period.
Several other councils also reported notable figures. North Yorkshire Council recorded 2,650 applications, while Wokingham Borough Council (2,363) and Cornwall Council (2,328) were among those with some of the highest totals.
Rounding out the top ten were West Northamptonshire Council (2,170), Newham Borough Council (2,031), Manchester City Council (1,966) and Durham County Council (1,888).
“These figures show how relationship breakdown can have a direct impact on housing stability. For many unmarried couples, the risks can be even greater because the idea of ‘common law marriage’ simply doesn’t exist in England and Wales. Without legal protections such as cohabitation agreements, one partner may have no legal right to remain in the home if the relationship ends”, adds Kayleigh Biswas-Gregory, Senior Associate.
The Councils with the Largest Increases in Relationship Breakdown Homelessness Applications
In contrast to the overall totals, some of the most striking findings come from councils that have seen the largest increases over time.
Tower Hamlets Borough Council recorded the largest rise with applications increasing from just 8 in 2020 to 65 in 2025 – a 713% increase. Croydon Borough Council saw a 514% increase, rising from 29 to 178 applications in an even shorter period, with data available between 2022 and 2025.
Other councils, including Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council (+246%) and Greenwich Borough Council (+219%), have also experienced substantial rises, with cases more than doubling in recent years.
Kayleigh says, “Only in some circumstances will you have a valid claim against a property held by your partner in their sole name. These claims are governed by civil laws rather than family laws and can be a costly and lengthy exercise should a claim need to be made at some point down the line.
Whilst a Cohabitation Agreement cannot preclude future litigation, in the event there is a disagreement on the breakdown of the relationship, it provides a clear legal contract between the parties as to how the assets will be divided, which, barring exceptional circumstances, should be taken into account by a Court.”
The Cohabitation Gap
This data goes beyond cohabiting couples, but underscores a key issue: when relationships end, housing insecurity can follow, especially in the absence of legal protection. In the context of rising cohabitation and ongoing discussions around legal reform, this raises important questions about how well current frameworks protect couples when relationships end, and whether greater safeguards could help prevent housing crises before they occur.
“No matter your circumstances, if you choose to live together in a relationship, it’s essential to have a cohabitation agreement in place. This provides important protection in the unfortunate event that the relationship ends, helping to prevent disputes over living arrangements – particularly for the partner who may be financially more vulnerable.”
For couples looking to protect their home and finances, speaking to experienced cohabitation agreement solicitors can help improve stability if a relationship ends.
While we don’t provide homelessness services ourselves, there is support available for anyone facing housing difficulties in England and Wales:
- Shelter – Free advice on housing, homelessness, and tenants’ rights
- Citizens Advice – Guidance on housing, legal rights, and homelessness support
- Crisis – National charity offering advice, support, and services for homeless people
- Homeless Link (England) – Network of organisations supporting people who are homeless
- Shelter Cymru (Wales) – Advice and support for people facing homelessness in Wales
- Cymorth Cymru (Wales) – Information and resources for housing support and homelessness prevention
Methodology
Freedom of Information requests were sent to 197 UK local councils, with 122 responses received and logged in March 2026.
For this study, only councils in England and Wales have been analysed, with a total of 91 respondents.
Councils were asked to provide the number of homelessness applications where relationship breakdown was recorded as a primary cause between 2020 and 2025.
Data was standardised by grouping related categories under “relationship breakdown” and analysed to produce totals, regional breakdowns and trends.
Findings are based on available responses, with some variation in how councils record and report this data (e.g. ‘financial year’ or ‘calendar year’ and the years for which data were available).
