Nicole Richie isn’t letting her legal woes put a strain on her romance with Joel Madden. A source tells Us Weekly that Richie, 25, and Madden, 27, “have exchanged their ‘I love yous.’”

And now the couple of three months are taking the next big step – L.A. househunting!

Nicole, who lives in a West Hollywood condo, and Joel, who has a house in suburban Glendale, have talked about shacking up. Yet despite some reports, “Nicole hasn’t moved in with him yet…but they are looking at places,” says the insider.

Still ,the move is somewhat upbeat news for Richie, who faces up to a year in jail if convicted of a second DUI. (This one stems from Richie’s 2006 arrest for driving the wrong way down an L.A. highway. A rep for Richie could not be reached.)

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