More than 85,000 homelessness applications across England and Wales between 2020 and 2025 were linked to relationship breakdown, according to new research.
The analysis of 91 local authorities by family law firm Rayden Solicitors found the North West recorded the highest number of applications at 17,504, followed by Wales with 15,780.
The East of England saw the sharpest rise over the period, with applications increasing by 185%.
The findings arrive as cohabitation law reform discussions are expected this spring. Cohabiting couples now account for 17.7% of all UK families — up 144% since 1996 — yet unlike married couples, they have no automatic financial rights over shared property or assets on separation.
Lehna Gardiner, a partner at Rayden Solicitors, said the current framework ‘leaves the financially weaker party vulnerable’ and often affects women in particular.
‘Cohabiting couples cannot rely on the family law framework and have no financial responsibility to one another on separation,’ she added.
