Property practitioners know that a conveyance of a legal estate or interest must be executed as a deed. The LPA 1925 sets out that if a legal estate or interest is not made by deed, it will only take effect as an “equitable” interest, and not legal.

The LPA 1925, however, failed to give clarity to the requirements of a deed. Another piece of legislation, the Law of Property (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1989, does that job and provides the requirements for a valid deed to be in writing, incorporate all terms agreed and be signed by each party.