... 'all forms of multi- partner relationships'4 should now be legally recognised, undoubtedly it would prove to be a contentious issue for the courts, since they are still embedded on the notion of the traditional 'Nuclear' family5 and have only recently legally recognised same-sex families. Although it appears that through the granting of same-sex relationships to be constituted as "family", indicates the courts embracing diverse family forms moving away from the view of the nuclear family. However following the criteria under Fitzpatrick it seems these two specific forms of family lifestyles choices will become an increasingly problematic issue for the courts. For instance as the functions of these families becomes harder to determine, on who will gain succession of tenancy, for the purpose of the Rent Act 1977, defined under schedule 1 Paragraph 2 as 'a surviving spouse' of the original tenant, this definition has now been extended to include 'a ...

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