Introduced by a legal scholar who was trying to find a way to reduce the divorce rate in the United States, a wedlease is a contract between the two parties in a married couple that spells out the terms of the relationship, including the length of time that the couple would remain in the relationship.

If the idea gains favor and wedleases become law, the contract would be created during family law mediation. The agreement could define the rights and responsibilities of each party, as well as property division after the formal relationship comes to a close. It could even include an option to renew the lease if the couple is happy in their relationship. It would also need to include a provision that would end the contract if one or both parties violated the terms of the wedlease.

The terms of the agreement should also include the provisions for children who are born from the wedlease relationship. It could extend the lease until the couple’s youngest child is either emancipated or is no longer considered to be a minor by law.

The legal minds who came up with the wedlease theory believed that marriage is an evolving institution, and that it should include couples who do not want to be bound to remain together beyond a set period of time. For the moment, however, wedleases only exist in the minds of the idea’s creator. They are not legal as of yet.

For couples who want to have formal agreements about each party’s responsibilities and rights in a standard marriage, there are, of course, post-nuptial and prenuptial agreements that the couple can create. With the help of family law mediation, a couple can make some substantial decisions about property ownership and other responsibilities and rights that each party will have within the marriage relationship. The couple cannot, though, specify a time at which the relationship will come to a close. Marriage is still for a lifetime. according to Florida state law.