Cohabitation agreements in Ohio: rights you have to write yourself Cohabitation agreements in Ohio: rights you have to write yourself

The house follows the deed: a partner who paid half the mortgage for fifteen years without title holds an unjust-enrichment theory and a court date, not equity. Accounts follow their named owners. No support obligation survives separation regardless of who sacrificed what for whose career. At death, Ohio intestacy routes everything to blood relatives — an unmarried partner of thirty years inherits nothing without a will, and may not even control the funeral. Ohio case law does allow contract-based claims between former cohabitants, but litigating an implied deal is expensive archaeology. Writing an express one is an afternoon.

The exception running the other way: children. Parentage, custody, parenting time, and child support in Ohio don't depend on marriage — those rights and duties attach once parentage is established, on their own track.

• The home — ownership shares, contribution treatment (gift, loan, or equity — decide in writing now), buyout and sale mechanics with deadlines.
• Money and debts — joint versus separate, expense-sharing, and unwinding rules.
• Contribution imbalances — a partner who steps back from earning, or who pours work into the other's business, gets exactly what the agreement says and nothing more. Ohio law adds nothing.
• Business interests — labor or capital contributed to a partner's company: equity, wages, or gift? Unwritten, that's a lawsuit with terrible odds.
• Exit mechanics — timelines and process, so separation is administration rather than war.

And pair it with the estate documents Ohio's defaults make non-optional — wills, financial and health care powers of attorney, beneficiary designations. Ohio grants unmarried partners no status; documents grant them everything they'll have. See estate planning.

Brown Carrington drafts Ohio cohabitation agreements with litigation-grade precision, because we've priced the alternative.