So you're moving in together and you're in a love bubble.

You've worked out who's bringing the couch and who's got the TV.

Your biggest worries are probably, "will we fight?" or "who's going to clean the toilet?"

The legal implications of your decision are the last thing on your mind.

At least that's how it was for Tara Leach when she moved in with her boyfriend.

When the relationship started falling apart, she was shocked to find out he may be able to take half of what she owned.

"I didn't realise the complexity of it," she said.

"It was frustrating that someone that you live de facto with can have so much power over your future."

Couples who have lived together in a genuine domestic relationship for two years are in a de facto relationship.

When a de facto partnership ends, assets can be split, similar to how it would be for married couples going through a divorce. Either person can make claims on the other's property, savings or superannuation.

While Ms Leach and her ex-partner weren't married and had no children, they'd lived together for more than two years and were legally a de facto couple.

And they'd bought a home together, which made things complicated.

Preparing for the storm

Ms Leach and her partner had lived together for more than two years and were legally a de facto couple. ( Supplied: Tara Leach )

Ms Leach says she's made some mistakes with money, but she's always been motivated and willing to learn more about finances.

By her early 20s she had her own investment property and has also set up her own business.

But Ms Leach says those traits put her at odds with her ex-partner when planning for the future.

"I'm a relatively high energy, highly driven person... but our life goals didn't align," she said.

When Ms Leach decided she and her partner were not right for each other, her accountant and lawyer alerted her about de facto relationship laws, and how joint assets like property and superannuation can be pooled together and divided.

Ms Leach says she spent six months working hard to get her personal finances in order to cover moving out costs and the legal fees so they could reach a peaceful agreement and get on with their lives.

She set aside as much income as possible from her full-time job, her side business and the rent she was receiving from her earlier investment property.

The split ended up costing her about $20,000.

What made the break up complicated was the home they'd bought together, worth about $200,000, two years into their relationship.

Ms Leach's case was resolved amicably and she's happy with how they divided up the assets. She's also glad she had planned ahead during that time.

"The world has changed and it's not about preparing for the relationship to end, but I think it's just a nice little security blanket for each party in a relationship if something goes wrong, and this includes if someone dies," she said.

"If you knew that your marriage or relationship wasn't working, would you not want to put yourself first?"

Generational shift around de facto relationships

Researcher Belinda Hewitt says more couples want to "try before you buy". ( Unslash: Brooke Cagle )

Couples who aren't married but live together are pretty common these days.

According to the 2016 census, one in six Australians over the age of 15 were in a de facto relationship.

Melbourne University Social Sciences researcher Belinda Hewitt says more couples want to "try before you buy".

"I don't think there's a massive cultural shift away from marriage," she said.

"I just think in Australia co-habitation is no longer seen as something that sinful or bad to do. It's actually something that's sensible and practical."

De facto breakups can be just as expensive as divorce

Mr Youssef says divorces and de facto splits can be similar in terms of costs and delays. ( Unsplash: Kelly Sikkema )

Legal fees worth tens of thousands of dollars are not uncommon in de facto breakups, according to Mark Youssef, a lawyer who specialises in divorce and de facto disputes with firm Taylor & Scott.

"People can end up spending around the $75,000 mark or thereabouts. And it usually takes a couple years if not more than that, for a judge to actually get you to a final hearing," he said.

"I don't find any differences whatsoever in the costs, delays and the heartache between de facto couples and married couples. It's the same sort of system."

In 2009, changes were made in Australia taking de facto disputes out of state courts and into the federal. They're handled using many of the same rules as divorces.

Judges will look at the couple's asset pool, how much they each contributed, their future needs, and what would be a just and equitable way to split the assets.

Mr Youssef believes many couples have been caught out by the law changes, because they didn't know they were in a de facto relationship and at the mercy of the family law system.

"A lot of these de facto disputes are not actually about what each party did, but whether one party who wants to seek a property settlement, is entitled to do so, because the other party says, 'no, I wasn't in a de facto relationship, we were only boyfriend-girlfriend'."

If a person in the relationship is resistant to finding a solution, there's allegations of abuse, or children involved, that's when "it can be quite messy", Mr Youssef says.

"Some people unfortunately will fight tooth and nail for every cent, so if that's the case then you need two to tango. And if only one party's on the dancefloor by themselves, so to speak, then they need a judge to push the other person on the dancefloor and finish it off."

If you're in a de facto relationship, do some research

Professor Hewitt says most young couples who don't have many assets have little to worry about.

However, for couples who have lived together for years, have children or significant assets together (property, cars, etc), she says it's worth doing some research around de facto relationship laws in case a breakup turns nasty.

"People just need to be aware of it. When you live with your partner for a couple of years it's not an unencumbered relationship any more," she said.

"My advice to people generally is to have your will in place properly, especially if you do have a previous partner or children.

"We're not in the same relationship with one person any more, that's just not how life works."

What to do when a de facto relationship falls apart

Ms Leach says she's learnt to think ahead at the start of a relationship, to save a lot of pain down the line. ( Supplied: Tara Leach )

Mr Youssef says it helps to have your financial information ready and to get advice as soon as possible if there is a legal threat in a de facto dispute.

He also recommends immediately taking your name off any payment plans (like mortgages) and separating joint accounts during a break up.

"It's a shock to the system for a lot of people, but what can actually make a really big difference from couple to couple is whether they're going to be quite reasonable and sensible about things," he said.

"They need to get their ducks lined up in a row, including making sure they have their documents ready.

"If they're going to be leaving the family home, they should be taking all their original documents with them, because they might not get a chance to go back."

Mr Youssef says it can be a tricky area of law to navigate for people with low savings and incomes.

While de facto cases involving children can be supported by free legal aid, disputes over property may not qualify.

Ms Leach says she's learnt to think ahead at the start of a relationship, to save a lot of pain down the line.

"If you're going into a relationship with assets, just get a little bit of advice," she said.

"You don't have to get a full prenuptial or anything, but just know what it means to you if you're going into a de facto relationship.

"It doesn't always get nasty but you want to be prepared for it just in case."