[1] A samenlevingscontract can govern the so-called property relationships between two or more persons who are cohabiting and other fields of law.
It does not necessarily imply a marriage-like (or sexual) relationship exists, but the contract can include agreements about any children within the cohabitation arrangement.
[2] On the contrary, the contract must contain the agreements as they will be executed in day-to-day life, to be seen as valid by a judge.
With the introduction first of registered partnerships (1998) and later the broadening of marriage to include same-sex couples (2001) in the Netherlands, the need for a cohabitation agreement for the latter has become less pronounced.
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