Strawperson

A strawperson is a figure not actually intended to have a truly beneficial interest in a property, who is nevertheless conveied said property in order the facilitate a more complicated transaction at law.

Under common law, a property owner cannot transfer their own property to themselves, the reality of which creates a barrier to certain forms of intended conveyances, most notably, when attempting to create a joint tenant agreement for their property between themselves and another. In order for an individual to create a Will or gift scenario, the grantor makes use of a neutral third party known as a strawperson (often a lawyer or the lawyer's secretary), who are conveyed the property and in turn this creates a second deed that creates the desired legal document conveying property to the original grantor and his/her desired joint tenant(s). This is a legal means of complying with the Four Unities Rule.