Crown Melbourne Limited v Cosmopolitan Hotel (Vic) Pty Ltd

Contract – Collateral contract – Where tenants held five year leases under which they operated two restaurants – Where clause of leases required landlord to give notice that leases were to be renewed or continued or the premises were to be vacated – Where in course of negotiations for further leases landlord made statement to tenants that they would be "looked after at renewal time" – Where landlord required tenants to vacate premises on expiration of leases – Whether statement gave rise to collateral contract – Whether statement promissory in nature – Whether obligation uncertain.

Estoppel – Whether statement to tenants that they would be "looked after at renewal time" could give rise to estoppel – Whether statement capable of conveying to reasonable person that tenants would be offered further lease – Whether expectation acted upon by tenants.

Appeals – Procedure – Where question whether statement amounted to binding contractual promise – Whether question of fact or question of law.

Words and phrases – "certainty", "collateral contract", "oral contract", "promissory estoppel", "proprietary estoppel", "question of fact", "question of law", "reasonable correspondence", "remittal".

Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal Act 1998 (Vic) – s 148.