Independent report

Consumer sales contracts: transfer of ownership

A report with draft legislation which would implement recommendations made in July 2016 to modernise the rules on when consumers acquire ownership of goods under sales contracts.

• From: Law Commission
• Published: 23 April 2021

Applies to England and Wales

Documents

Consumer sales contracts: transfer of ownership

Ref: ISBN 978-1-5286-2531-9, HC 1365

PDF, 1.49 MB, 112 pages

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Details

The Law Commission published a draft Bill that would introduce new rules into the Consumer Rights Act 2015 about the transfer of ownership under contracts for the sale of goods between a trader and a consumer.

The final draft Bill would introduce new rules into the Consumer Rights Act 2015 around the transfer of ownership under contracts for the sale of goods between a trader and a consumer. The changes include:

• New rules: Different rules would apply, depending on the type of good in question. For example, for a good bought in a physical store, the contract is made when the good is purchased. For a generic item bought online, there are a range of points which could trigger the contract of sale.
• Modernised language: Consumer focused language that is less likely to be misinterpreted would be included. For example, the new rules refer to “trader” and “consumer” (rather than “buyer” and “seller”).
• Mandatory rules: Once implemented, the rules in the draft Bill would become mandatory, nullifying the effect of any contract where ownership of the goods is transferred over at a later point in the process.

Find out more on the Law Commission website.

Published 23 April 2021