On March 18, 2013 the Family Law Act replaced the current Family Relations Act resulting in significant changes to family law in British Columbia. One of the biggest changes is that common law couples will be governed by the same property division as married couples upon the breakdown of their relationship. Common law couples, for the purposes of property division in the Family Law Act, include two people who have lived in a marriage like relationship for at least two years. The presumption is that upon a relationship breakdown each partner will be entitled to one half of any ‘family property’ and increases in value of ‘excluded property’. If you want to set out a different arrangement for property division then a cohabitation agreement is the way to do so. A cohabitation agreement can also include details of how each party will contribute financially during the relationship and the terms of spousal support, if any, should the relationship breakdown. Every cohabitation agreement needs to be specific to your situation so it is essential that you consult a lawyer for advice before drafting and signing any agreements.