Household Fire Insurance v Grant (1879)
Created by 121.1.18.237 on 3 November 2009, at 09:36
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| Household Fire Insurance Co v Grant | |
|---|---|
| Court | Court of Appeal |
| Full case name | The Household Fire and Carriage Accident Insurance Company (Limited) v Grant |
| Date decided | 1 July 1879 |
| Judge(s) sitting | Thesiger LJ, Baggallay LJ and Bramwell LJ |
| Case opinions | |
| Thesiger LJ, Baggallay LJ and Bramwell LJ | |
This case (Household Fire and Carriage Insurance Co v Grant (1879) 4ex d 219) demonstrates that a Acceptance of offer by post occurs at the moment of posting, not when the acceptance is received.
Grant applied for shares in an insurance company; the company replied by sending a statement of allotment of shares. Grant claimed never to have received this, and therefore was not bound by the company's terms an conditions. The court ruled that he had made an offer (i.e., he offered to pay some money in return for shares), and the company had accepted his offer by posting his share certificate. There was, therefore, an enforceable agreement.