A contract made for someone's benefit is worthless to them unless the law gives them a means of enforcing it. This chapter starts with the doctrine of privity and the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999, then works through the two routes under s 1(1) by which a third party gains an enforcement right, how they must be identified, and the presumption that arises where a term purports to confer a benefit on them. It moves on to crystallisation — the point after which the contracting parties can no longer vary or rescind without the third party's consent — and the position on defences, remedies and the safeguards against double recovery. Finally it covers assignment of contractual rights and the other routes, such as collateral contracts, by which a third party can acquire rights, and how their position differs from that of a full contracting party.
