Property Division in Non-Marital Relationships

When two people are not married to each other, their rights, duties, and obligations to each other are governed by different rules than divorce, separate maintenance, and annulment. For example, since the parties are not married, they do not need to obtain a ‘divorce’ in order to end their relationship. But even though a couple is not married, they may have rights to property that they accumulated and do have rights, duties, and obligations for children born of the relationship even though they are not married. Additionally, although unmarried couples do not obtain a “divorce,” Kansas law recognizes that people who have lived together may obtain property and debt together that should be ‘equitably divided’ at the end of the relationship. The only way to know what rights you have is to consult with an attorney about your specific situation.