Assignment of choses in action
Choses in action are ‘…all personal rights of property which can only be claimed or enforced by action and not by taking physical possession.’ (ref Torkington v Magee). The term includes the benefits arising under a contract and, subject to certain qualifications, rights of action arising by reason of a breach of contract.
A chose in action can be a legal chose, for example an interim payment due under a building contract, or an equitable chose such as a legacy under a will or an interest in a partnership.
Choses in action can be assigned or transferred unilaterally, for example A the employer enters into a construction contract with B the contractor, requiring B to construct a building to a quality set out in the specification. A can, without the consent of, or indeed knowledge of B, transfer the benefit of that contract to a third party C. A is known as the assignor, B the debtor and C the assignee. Only the benefits of a contract can be assigned, not the burdens (see Nokes v Doncaster Amalgamated Collieries). The burden must be novated.
It is important to understand that the right to assign a chose in action is not derived from contract. It is a statutory right, alternatively a right arising from the rules of equity. Express conditions are commonly found in collateral warranties purporting to grant rights of assignment; these conditions are unnecessary and may actually have the effect of restricting the rights to assign.
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings
Featured articles and news
Costs and insolvencies mount for SMEs, despite growth
Construction sector under insolvency and wage bill pressure in part linked to National Insurance, says report.
The place for vitrified clay pipes in modern infrastructure
Why vitrified clay pipes are reclaiming their role in built projects.
Research by construction PR consultancy LMC published.
Roles and responsibilities of domestic clients
ACA Safety in Construction guide for domestic clients.
Fire door compliance in UK commercial buildings
Architect and manufacturer gives their low down.
Plumbing and heating for sustainability in new properties
Technical Engineer runs through changes in regulations, innovations in materials, and product systems.
Awareness of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism
What CBAM is and what to do about it.
The new towns and strategic environmental assessments
12 locations of the New Towns Taskforce reduced to 7 within the new towns draft programme and open consultation.
Buildings that changed the future of architecture. Book review.
The Sustainability Pathfinder© Handbook
Built environment agency launches free Pathfinder© tool to help businesses progress sustainability strategies.
Government outcome to the late payment consultation, ECA reacts.
IHBC 2025 Gus Astley Student Award winners
Work on the role of hewing in UK historic conservation a win for Jack Parker of Oxford Brookes University.
Future Homes Building Standards and plug-in solar
Parts F and L amendments, the availability of solar panels and industry responses.
How later living housing can help solve the housing crisis
Unlocking homes, unlocking lives.
Preparing safety case reports for HRBs under the BSA
A new practical guide to preparing structural inputs for safety cases and safety case reports published by IStructE.
Male construction workers and prostate cancer
CIOB and Prostate Cancer UK encourage awareness of prostate cancer risks, and what to do about it.
Comments
To start a discussion about this article, click 'Add a comment' above and add your thoughts to this discussion page.