Indemnity

===Indemnity clauses===
{{See also|Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977}}
Under section 4 of the [[Statute of Frauds]] (1677), a "guarantee" (an undertaking of secondary liability; to answer for another's default) must be evidenced in writing. No such formal requirement exists in respect of indemnities (involving the assumption of primary liability; to pay irrespective of another's default) which are enforceable even if made orally.<ref name="Peel">{{cite book |last1=Peel |first1=Edwin |last2=Treitel |first2=Guenter H. |title=The law of contract |date=2010 |publisher=[[Sweet & Maxwell]] |location=London |isbn=9780421948402 |edition=12th |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/lawofcontract0000peel }}</ref>

Under current English law, indemnities must be clearly and precisely worded in the contract in order to be enforceable.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Sweigart|first1=Raymond|title=English Indemnity Law–Parsing the Promise: Words Are Important, But So Are Actions|url=http://www.pillsburylaw.com/publications/english-indemnity-lawparsing-the-promise-words-are-important-but-so-are-actions|publisher=Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman|access-date=26 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150226103119/http://www.pillsburylaw.com/publications/english-indemnity-lawparsing-the-promise-words-are-important-but-so-are-actions|archive-date=26 February 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977]] stated that a consumer cannot be made to unreasonably indemnify another for their [[breach of contract]] or [[negligence]], though this section was repealed by the [[Consumer Rights Act 2015]] schedule 4 paragraph 6.<ref name="CRA2015.15.Sch4">{{Cite legislation UK|type=act|act=Consumer Rights Act|year=2015|chapter=15|schedule=4|access-date=3 December 2019}}</ref>