The book has three main aims: (i) to provide a clear and precise explanation of the meaning of a particular word or phrase (although legal and technical explanations proliferate, every effort has been made to avoid, as far as possible, the jargon or the cumbersome phraseology that has grown up in this subject since the Middle Ages); (ii) to help the user find an answer to many of the questions that occur in real estate today (if not directly, then by reference to a number of other sources); and (iii) to point out where a problem might occur upon which, when required, further advice and counsel should be sought.

The Encyclopedia contains more than 15,000 citations (including over 5,700 cases and 1,900 statutory or codereferences). In addition, there are over 7,400 bibliographical references, many of which are referenced by page or paragraph number. The cross-referencing system, which extends to over 20,000 entries, provides an exhaustive thesaurus of real estate terminology. In addition, there is a separate BIBLIOGRAPHY of over 1,500 books.

This reference work is truly international in scope. In particular, it draws extensively on material from the United States, England and Wales, Scotland, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and France.