Section 201: Civil partners: housekeeping allowance
Effect
628.This section inserts a new section 70A into the Civil Partnership Act 2004. The new section applies section 1 of the Married Women’s Property Act 1964 (as amended by this Act) to allowances paid by civil partners so that money and property derived from a housekeeping allowance is to be treated as belonging to both civil partners in equal shares.
Background
629.The Civil Partnership Act 2004 replicates most of the legal provisions relating to husbands and wives. However, as long as the provisions of section 1 of the Married Women’s Property Act 1964 were gender specific, in that they only dealt with housekeeping allowances made by a husband to his wife and not allowances made by either spouse, it was not possible to replicate them for civil partners.
Example
A woman pays her civil partner a housekeeping allowance. Unless they agree otherwise, the allowance and any property bought from it will be shared equally.
