A claimant who was never party to the bargain must find a route around the basic rule before any claim gets off the ground. This chapter starts with the doctrine of privity itself, then works through the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999: the two bases of enforceability under section 1(1), how the third party must be identified, when rights crystallise so the parties can no longer freely vary or rescind, and the defences, remedies and the promisee's own position once a third party sues. It then examines when a promisee can recover substantial damages for loss that falls on someone else, including the narrow ground. Finally, it covers the common law and equitable routes around privity — collateral contracts, agency, trusts of a promise — and the rules on legal and equitable assignment.
