A recent survey by the Living Together Campaign revealed that 61% of women believe living together more than five years gave them the same rights as if they were married. Not true. Even after living with him and being his housemaid for 20 years will not entitle you to a share of the house. Not understanding the law has caused women real problems when things start to go wrong.

If you move into a home that is owned by your partner no matter how long you stay with him this does not give you any legal rights over the home. If he asked you to leave or decided to sell the property, you have no legal right to the percentage of the sale.

If your partner is living in a rented property and your name is not on the tenancy agreement, then be aware that your partner can ask you to leave at any time and you have no right to stay. You will also be in the breach of the tenancy agreement which can get you both in a lot of trouble with the landlord.

It's not just the property that can cause problems but credit agreements, loans, joint mortgage payments and anything else that can affect your credit rating.

So what can women do to protect themselves?. The answer is insist on a Living Together Agreements (LTA)

It might seem like another bad idea from America, but this can actually provide women with financial security and valuable protection. The contract can be as simple or as detailed as you want it to be. From share of the property to whose responsibility it is to do the dishes, it can cover as much or as little as you want.

It's not exactly a subject for pillow talk and can be a bit of a passion killer - but the sooner you can approach the subject the sooner you can get it out of the way and get on with enjoying the relationship. The reality is over 75% relationships end in one form or another.

Here are just some examples of the sort of things you might want to consider putting in a contract:

The percentage ownership of the property

Domestic arrangements, such as share of chores

Ownership of goods such as dvd players, dishwasher, washing machines, television, jewellery and anything else of value

Will you have a joint accounts or separate accounts

Will you have a savings account and how much will each party contribute and the percentage split

Who is responsible for running the finances