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A landmark bill proposing rights for couples, carers and siblings who live together is set to be introduced later this year.
Human rights lawyer Lord Lester of Herne Hill QC is hoping to end "injustice and financial hardship" suffered when one half of a co-habiting couple dies or if the pair separate.
The bill's arrival is part of a new Living Together campaign launched by lawyer group Resolution and Lord Lester's Odysseus Trust.
Lord Lester said: "Sensibly drafted legislation is urgently needed to tackle the vulnerability not only of unmarried cohabiting couples and their children but also co-dependent carers and siblings who live together."
Government figures show one in six couples who co-habit in the UK do not marry, a figure expected to rise considerably over the next 20 years.
The bill would apply only to people living in the same household for a minimum amount of time in which both have provided a financial or other commitment to each other.
Further figures from Resolution show the typical length of cohabitation relationships is increasing, with the 2006 average 6.9 years compared with 6.5 years in 2000.
