Greasley v Cooke [1980] 3 All ER 710 is an English land law case concerning proprietary estoppel.

Kenneth and Hedley Greasley owned a house on 32 George Street, Riddings in Derbyshire.

Doris Cooke moved in DURING 1938 as a maid for Hedley, and became Kenneth’s partner, and both had assured her she would have a 'home for life'.

Lord Denning MR held that Ms Cooke did not have to prove reliance, and would assume she had acted to her detriment.

467, 482–483 where I said that when a person makes a representation intending that another should act on it: “It is no answer for the maker to say: ‘You would have gone on with the transaction anyway.’ That must be mere speculation.

These statements to Miss Cooke were calculated to influence her — so as to put her mind at rest — so that she should not worry about being turned out.

The second point is about the need for some expenditure of money — some detriment — before a person can acquire any interest in a house or any right to stay in it as long as he wishes.

Applying those principles here it can be seen that the assurances given by Kenneth and Hedley to Doris Cooke — leading her to believe that she would be allowed to stay in the house as long as she wished — raised an equity in her favour.