What does a cohabitation agreement cost?
6 min read
There are three realistic routes — a lawyer, a free online template, or an app-based agreement. The price tags differ, but the expensive option is usually having no agreement at all.
In short
- A lawyer is the most thorough route, billed by the hour and often the most expensive.
- Free templates are generic and may be outdated or simply wrong for your country.
- App-based agreements cost a fraction of a lawyer and keep your records up to date.
- The cost of having no agreement — at separation or death — often dwarfs all three.
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The three realistic routes
When couples ask what an agreement costs, they are really choosing between three options: hire a lawyer, download a free template, or use a dedicated app. Each has a different price, and a different risk profile.
The right choice depends on how complicated your situation is — but any of the three beats the fourth option, which is doing nothing.
Lawyer: thorough, but priced by the hour
A lawyer will tailor the agreement to your situation, flag issues you did not know existed, and make sure the formal requirements of your country are met. That is the gold standard, and it is priced accordingly: legal work is usually billed by the hour, and a full agreement often ends up costing several thousand in local currency.
For complex situations — business ownership, children from previous relationships, large inheritances, or property in several countries — that money is well spent. For a straightforward shared home with uneven contributions, it can feel like overkill.
Free templates: cheap and risky
The internet is full of free cohabitation agreement templates. The problems are subtle: the template may be written for another country's legal system, reflect rules that have since changed, or miss the formal requirements — signatures, witnesses, registration — that make it valid where you live.
A template can be a reasonable starting point for the conversation. But a document that turns out to be unenforceable is worse than no document, because you believed you were protected.
App-based agreements: the middle ground
A dedicated app sits between the two: far cheaper than a lawyer, far more structured than a generic template. cohab is free for tracking each partner's contributions with amount, date and owner; the formal agreement — built on your own numbers, with a waterfall settlement and digital signing — is a one-time purchase.
The practical advantage is that the agreement and the records live together. When life changes, you update the numbers rather than starting over with new paperwork.
The cost of having nothing
The comparison that matters is not lawyer versus template versus app. It is any of them versus nothing. In many countries cohabitants do not have the same automatic rights as spouses — no automatic right to the home, no automatic inheritance, no default split that matches what you assumed.
A dispute settled by lawyers after a breakup, or an estate fought over after a death, costs far more than any agreement ever will — in money, time and the relationship itself. So the sensible next step is simple: pick the route that fits your situation, get something written and signed, and keep the records behind it current.
Frequently asked questions
Is a free template good enough?
Sometimes, for very simple situations — if it is written for your country and current law. The risk is that you cannot tell a good template from a bad one until it is tested, which usually happens at the worst possible time.
When is a lawyer worth the money?
When the stakes or complexity are high: significant wealth differences, business ownership, children from previous relationships, cross-border property, or if one partner is giving up something substantial. For a standard shared home, a structured app solution usually covers what you need.
What is typically included in an agreement?
Ownership shares in the home, how deposits and mortgage payments are credited, how a sale or buyout is settled, who keeps what on separation, and often how shared costs are handled while you live together.
Can we change the agreement later?
Yes — agreements can normally be amended or replaced as long as both partners agree and the same formal requirements are followed. Reviewing it after big life events, like buying a home or having children, is good practice.
What an agreement may cover, and the formal requirements that make it valid, vary between countries. Rules also change over time — check local requirements or seek local advice before signing.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules differ between countries — consult a local professional for your situation.
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