Understanding Property Law provides a background to an area of law which is notoriously inaccessible. Standing back from their subject, the authors of this book elucidate how the practices of the past have shaped the development and form of the modern law. In doing so they stress the role of lawyers in the transactions - such as sale, gift and inheritance - in which their clients become involved. This focus upon the work which lawyers do in their offices provides a necessary complement to the emphasis on legislation and adjudication found in most textbooks. This edition has been extensively revised and updated to incorporate the reforms implemented by the Trusts of Land and Appointment of Trustees Act 1996 and contemporary issues concerning homesharers. The important contextual parts of the book have also been substantially expanded.