Living apart can include living separate lives under the same roof.
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General guidance for 2026. Private to this page: nothing entered here is stored or sent. The court must also be satisfied that proper provision is made for both spouses and any dependent children.
Talk it through in confidence↗The court must be satisfied that proper provision is made for both spouses and any dependent children. That is where preparation, and good advice, matter most.
Mediation and a separation agreement are available now, and much of the work does not wait for the two years to pass. Most of the groundwork can start today.
Common law marriage does not exist here. Couples who live together have a different, narrower set of rights, and a separate guide on this site explains where they stand.
One quiet conversation, your options laid out plainly, no pressure to take any step.