Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Key definition

Breach of contract definition

What does Breach of contract mean? A breach of contract occurs when a party fails to perform a contractual obligation, performs defectively or late, or indicates it will not perform (anticipatory breach). The concept is chiefly developed in case law, though legislation uses it in specific contexts (for example, the Sale of Goods Acts and consumer rights statutes). Consequences depend on seriousness and the contract terms. Breach of a condition or a repudiatory/material breach allows the innocent party to terminate and claim damages for breach of contract; breach of a warranty gives damages only. For innominate terms, termination depends on whether the breach deprives the...

Precedent Pre-Action Letter of Claim—Breach of Contract (CPR Pre-Action Conduct, England and Wales)

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Precedents

[ ON THE HEADED NOTEPAPER OF THE Claimant’S SOLICITORS ]

Our reference: [ insert your file reference for this matter ]

FAO [ RELEVANT NAME ]

[ NAME OF Defendant OR DEFENDANT’S SOLICITOR IF KNOWN ]

[ ADDRESS LINE 1 ]

[ ADDRESS LINE 2 ]

[ POSTCODE ]

[ DATE ]

Dear [ insert name ]

RE [ PROSPECTIVE CLAIMANT’S NAME ] AND [ PROSPECTIVE DEFENDANT’S NAME ]

LETTER OF CLAIM

[ Further to our correspondence dated [ insert date of previous correspondence, if any ] ] .

[ As you are aware, we OR We ] represent [ insert Client’s full name/company name ], of [ insert full address ].

This letter of claim is issued on our client’s behalf in accordance with the Practice Direction on Pre-Action Conduct and Protocols within the Civil Procedure Rules (the ‘Practice Direction’), and a copy is enclosed for your ease of reference.

Please note the closing section of this letter, which specifies the timeframe for your response and the consequences should you fail to respond appropriately within that period...

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Web page updated on 22/05/2026

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