# DEED OF GIFT
## Important legal, jurisdiction and formality warning
This fictional deed is an illustrative worked example, not legal advice and not a substitute for a solicitor's title investigation or a properly executed deed. It uses England and Wales law and transfers personal property, not land. A gift of land, shares, registered intellectual property, a vehicle, a business asset, an item subject to finance, or an asset held in a trust may require different formalities and registration. Check capacity, ownership, insolvency, inheritance-tax, capital-gains, VAT, cultural-property, export, insurance and charity rules before signing. A deed must be delivered with the required intention and formalities; a signature alone may not complete it. Each party should obtain independent advice, and no witness should be a party or have a financial interest in the gift.
Date of deed: 12 April 2027
## Parties
Donor: Arthur Benjamin Bell of 31 Juniper Crescent, Cambridge CB4 2HT, born 8 February 1958.
Recipient: Leila Noor Bell of 5 Orchard Mews, Cambridge CB1 7RU, born 17 October 1992.
The Donor and Recipient are father and daughter. The Donor confirms that he is an adult with capacity to make this gift and that the Recipient accepts it. The Donor is acting personally, not as a trustee, executor, company officer or agent.
## Recitals
A. The Donor owns the personal property described in Schedule 1, acquired from the named artists and galleries between 1996 and 2018.
B. The Donor wishes to make an outright inter vivos gift to the Recipient without payment, loan, reservation of benefit or obligation to return the property.
C. The parties intend this instrument to take effect as a deed when the Donor executes and delivers it and the Recipient accepts delivery and the property.
## 1. Gift and acceptance
The Donor, as beneficial owner, hereby irrevocably gives and transfers the artwork collection in Schedule 1, together with the certificates of authenticity, frames and provenance records listed there, to the Recipient absolutely. The consideration for the transfer is natural love and affection and the Recipient's acceptance of the gift; no money or other valuable consideration is payable. The total insurance value stated for the collection is £18,750, but that figure is not a sale price, valuation warranty or debt owed by the Recipient.
The Recipient accepts the gift and agrees to take possession of the collection on 12 April 2027. The parties will sign the handover receipt in Schedule 2 when the collection is delivered. Risk of loss passes to the Recipient on physical delivery, and the Recipient will arrange insurance from that time. Until delivery, the Donor will keep the collection safely at 31 Juniper Crescent and maintain the existing household policy to the extent it covers the items.
## 2. Title, encumbrances and warranties
The Donor warrants, to the extent of his actual knowledge and subject to the records supplied, that he owns the collection outright, has authority to give it, has not sold or gifted it previously, and has not pledged, charged, leased or used it as security. The Donor has not received a demand from a gallery, artist, creditor or authority claiming title. The Donor gives no warranty about future value, investment performance, condition beyond the condition report in Schedule 1, authenticity beyond the certificates identified, or tax treatment.
The collection is gifted in its present condition. The Recipient has inspected the works on 2 April 2027 with Nadia Sethi, an independent art conservator, and accepts the documented minor frame wear and colour variation. The Donor will deliver the original invoices, authenticity certificates and conservation note held by him. If an item is lost before delivery because of the Donor's deliberate act or failure to take reasonable care, the parties will notify one another and their insurers; this clause does not convert the gift into a sale or guarantee a monetary substitute.
## 3. No retained rights and use
After delivery, the Donor retains no ownership, possession, income, control, right of revocation or right to demand that an item be displayed in a particular place. The Recipient may display, insure, lend, sell or otherwise deal with the collection, subject to the law and any artist's moral rights, gallery terms or insurance conditions that properly apply. The Donor may request to view the works on reasonable notice, but the Recipient may refuse or impose conditions and the request does not create a licence or trust.
The parties understand that this deed may be relevant to inheritance-tax planning, means-tested benefits, care-fee assessment, relationship breakdown or insolvency. The Donor has considered his remaining resources and confirms that making this gift will not leave him unable to meet present debts or ordinary living expenses. The Recipient will obtain tax advice about reporting, insurance and a later sale. Neither party represents that no tax, reporting duty or creditor issue can arise.
## 4. Delivery, records and costs
Delivery will occur at 14:00 on 12 April 2027 at the Recipient's address, using Fenmere Fine Art Couriers Limited, consignment FFAC-7721. The courier charge of £285.00 will be paid by the Donor as an incidental cost of making the gift and does not form consideration. The Recipient will receive two framed paintings, one sculpture, three certificates, four original invoices and the conservation report. The Recipient will check the package at delivery and photograph any transit damage before signing the courier record.
The Donor will keep a scanned copy of this deed and the Recipient will keep the original deed, handover receipt and provenance records. Neither party may alter a record after signing. A correction must be dated and initialled by both parties or made in a written deed of variation.
## 5. General and governing law
This deed is the entire record of the gift and replaces the parties' informal conversations about the collection. A waiver is effective only if written and signed. If a provision is invalid, it will be read down only as far as legally possible and the rest will continue. No person other than the Donor and Recipient may enforce a term under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999.
This deed and the gift are governed by the law of England and Wales. The courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction for disputes, subject to any mandatory rule. The parties acknowledge that specialist advice is needed if any work is moved outside the United Kingdom, sold through a foreign gallery, or claimed to have cultural-property restrictions.
## Schedule 1 — gifted collection
1. Mara Ellison, Evening Rain over Fen Causeway, oil on linen, 1996, 61 cm by 46 cm, framed in walnut; certificate ME-1996-44; insurance value £6,500; condition: stable, light frame abrasion at lower right.
2. Jonas Pritchard, Three Pears and a Blue Bowl, oil on board, 2004, 52 cm by 38 cm, framed in gilt wood; certificate JP-2004-18; insurance value £4,250; condition: good, small surface craquelure recorded in report NS-27.
3. Elena Varga, River Marker, bronze sculpture, edition 2 of 9, 2011, 34 cm high, signed EV and numbered 2/9; certificate EV-S-2011-02; insurance value £5,800; condition: good, natural patina.
4. Tomas Reed, Orchard Lines, limited photographic print, edition 14 of 50, 2018, 40 cm by 30 cm, framed behind conservation glass; certificate TR-2018-14; insurance value £2,200; condition: excellent.
The total stated insurance value is £6,500 + £4,250 + £5,800 + £2,200 = £18,750.
## Schedule 2 — handover receipt
On 12 April 2027 at 14:00, Arthur Benjamin Bell delivered the four works, frames, four certificates, four original invoices and the conservation report to Leila Noor Bell at 5 Orchard Mews, Cambridge CB1 7RU. Leila inspected the external packaging and recorded no visible damage. The Recipient accepts physical delivery of the property gifted by this deed.
Donor signature: __________________________ Arthur Benjamin Bell
Recipient signature: __________________________ Leila Noor Bell
## Execution as a deed
Executed and delivered as a deed by Arthur Benjamin Bell in the presence of:
Donor signature: __________________________
Date: 12 April 2027
Witness signature: __________________________ Witness name: Sonia Patel
Witness address: 19 Mill Road, Cambridge CB1 2AB
Witness occupation: Retired university librarian
Accepted and delivered by Leila Noor Bell in the presence of:
Recipient signature: __________________________
Date: 12 April 2027
Witness signature: __________________________ Witness name: Sonia Patel
Witness address: 19 Mill Road, Cambridge CB1 2AB
Witness occupation: Retired university librarian
The witness confirms that each relevant signature was made or acknowledged in the witness's presence, that the witness is not a party, and that the witness has no beneficial interest in the collection.