Recommendation 7

While the concept of living together “as if” married (or in a civil partnership) has been recognised in law for many years (see, for example the Rent Act 1977, as amended in 1988) we recommend that the Government should move away from the marriage analogy as a way of defining cohabitation. We would prefer the form of words recommended by the Law Commission in a similar context in 2007: “living as a couple in a joint household. The Government should also consider more substantial reform by making children directly eligible for the bereavement benefits designed to support them.