Many young men and women cohabit for different reasons.
One of them is that they are either in college or have just started working and cannot afford to pay rent. So by cohabiting, they get to share the rent with intention of separating once they are able to cater for their bills. However, things usually do not go as planned. Most of the time, those cohabiting end up sticking together and eventually getting married.Another reason why young couples cohabit is to save on the unnecessary expenses of living separately. This is common among the working class and those who have been dating for a long time. They decide to move in together and try out the “marriage” life. No wonder this kind of arrangement is popularly known as come-we-stay.In most come-we-stay arrangements, the couple usually ends up having children even before they get to meet each other’s parents for a proper introduction.However, things have changed as far as legal complications of cohabiting are concerned.So before you rush into a come-we-stay arrangement, here are three things you need to know.The Parliament in 2012, approved a law which recognises cohabiting of more than six months as legal marriages. This means you should be careful when cohabiting with someone you are not sure you can spend the rest of your life with.Contrary to popular opinion, cohabiting does not guarantee you the inheritance of properties in case your partner passes on. The law is not very clear on the issue of succession as far as come-we-stay marriages are concerned. In other words, cohabiting is a marriage that, though legally recognised, is not taken seriously.Thirdly, come-we-stay marriages usually hit a dead end when parents get involved. You can stay with a girl as your wife for as long as you want but you cannot hide the arrangement forever.It reaches a time you will have to go and meet her parents and vice versa. It is at this point that sometimes things get messy, especially if the parents of the girl do not welcome you for the simple reason of having taken their daughter without their consent or blessings.A marriage that is not blessed by the parents is as good as dead.