Housing Act 1996 (c. 52)

Part VII Homelessness

Homelessness and threatened homelessness

178 Meaning of associated person

(1) For the purposes of this Part, a person is associated with another person if—

(a) they are or have been married to each other;

(b) they are cohabitants or former cohabitants;

(c) they live or have lived in the same household;

(d) they are relatives;

(e) they have agreed to marry one another (whether or not that agreement has been terminated);

(f) in relation to a child, each of them is a parent of the child or has, or has had, parental responsibility for the child.

(2) If a child has been adopted or has been freed for adoption by virtue of any of the enactments mentioned in section 16(1) of the [1976 c. 36.] Adoption Act 1976, two persons are also associated with each other for the purposes of this Part if—

(a) one is a natural parent of the child or a parent of such a natural parent, and

(b) the other is the child or a person—

(i) who has become a parent of the child by virtue of an adoption order or who has applied for an adoption order, or

(ii) with whom the child has at any time been placed for adoption.

(3) In this section—

• “adoption order” has the meaning given by section 72(1) of the Adoption Act 1976;

• “child” means a person under the age of 18 years;

• “cohabitants” means a man and a woman who, although not married to each other, are living together as husband and wife, and “former cohabitants” shall be construed accordingly;

• “parental responsibility” has the same meaning as in the [1989 c. 41.] Children Act 1989; and

• “relative”, in relation to a person, means—

  (a)

  the father, mother, stepfather, stepmother, son, daughter, stepson, stepdaughter, grandmother, grandfather, grandson or granddaughter of that person or of that person’s spouse or former spouse, or

  (b)

  the brother, sister, uncle, aunt, niece or nephew (whether of the full blood or of the half blood or by affinity) of that person or of that person’s spouse or former spouse,

  and includes, in relation to a person who is living or has lived with another person as husband and wife, a person who would fall within paragraph (a) or (b) if the parties were married to each other.