Lawyer warns unmarried Australian couples face legal ruin by skipping key moving-in paperwork

A senior lawyer has warned unmarried Australian couples are moving in together without legal protections. Sources: iStock A senior lawyer has warned unmarried Australian couples are moving in together without legal protections they wrongly assume exist – and the consequences can be devastating. MK Law principal and senior lawyer Marcus Denning, who has more than 21 years of experience in commercial law, said living together doesn’t come with the legal protections unmarried couples assume. MK Law principal and senior lawyer Marcus Denning. “Living together does not keep you safe the way marriage does, and surprisingly, many couples aren’t aware of this,” Mr Denning said. “If they do break up, there are default rules for couples who are married, but that doesn’t automatically apply to unmarried couples; it depends on who owns what. “I’ve had clients who have been paying rent for years and thought, ‘well, if we’ve been paying bills for so long, that must be enough in legal terms’. “The reality is, it doesn’t, and that’s typically where the real problem happens.” MORE NEWS: Incredibly hard’: Aussie star’s emotional update George Clooney’s Aussie home base sells for $24m 31yo on $60k ow...