Landmark ruling for cohabiting couples

Whilst judges are still calling for new legal rights for cohabitees, a woman who wasn’t married to a man she lived with has won £28,500 from him because he ‘promised her a home for life’.

The woman, Catherine Blackburn, moved in with David Southwell, a businessman, after they got together and started a relationship. She had two daughters by a previous relationship, and they moved into the shared house too.  Mr Southwell put £140,000 of his own money into buying the house and the couple took out a £100,000 mortgage, which Mr Southwell paid.  He claims to have also paid most of the household bills, bought her a new car and funded her way through university while she studied to become a speech and language therapist.

Now, in a landmark ruling, Ms Blackburn has been awarded £28,500 after the couple split and Mr Southwell changed the locks on the house, leaving her and her two daughters homeless.

The ruling could well open the floodgates for other similar claims.

Ironically, Mr Southwell didn’t commit to marrying Ms Blackburn because he feared the payout involved if they did marry and then split.