What is Bill of sale?

A bill of sale is a document that transfers ownership of goods from one person to another. It is used in situations where the former owner transfers possession of the goods to a new owner. Bills of sale may be used in a wide variety of transactions: people can sell their goods, exchange them, give them as gifts or mortgage them to get a loan. They can only be used:

Bills of sale exist at common law quite independently of any legislation. In England and Wales, they are regulated by two Victorian pieces of legislation: the Bills of Sale Act 1878 and the Bills of Sale Act Amendment Act 1882. This area of the law was subject to review by the Law Commission, which published a proposal for change in 2017.