What is the difference between agency by estoppel and apparent agency?
Asked by: Jesse Gottlieb Jr. | Last update: February 10, 2026Score: 4.7/5 (68 votes)
Agency by estoppel and apparent agency (also called ostensible authority) are essentially the same concept, describing a situation where a principal is bound to a third party because the principal's actions (or inactions) made it seem reasonable for the third party to believe an unauthorized person was an agent, leading the third party to rely on that belief to their detriment. The core idea is that the principal is "estopped" (prevented) from denying the agency relationship because their conduct created a misleading impression, causing harm to an innocent third party who acted in good faith.
What is the difference between agency by estoppel and apparent authority?
Whereas the emphasis of apparent authority is on power to bind the principal, the emphasis of estoppel is to forbid the principal to deny the authority which has caused a loss."
What is the difference between implied agency and agency by estoppel?
Implied Agency: Derived from actions or circumstances (e.g., a manager making decisions on behalf of a business). Agency by Estoppel (Article 1911): Occurs when the principal's acts create a reasonable belief in a third party that the agent has authority, even if such authority was not granted.
What is agency by estoppel in simple terms?
Agency by estoppel is a legal concept where someone creates the impression to a third party that they are an agent of another individual or company. Although this agency is not officially appointed, the agent by estoppel is not authorized to represent the person or company they claim to be working for.
How does apparent authority differ from the application of estoppel?
One that successfully sets up ostensible authority effectively estops or precludes the other (the principal) from denying liability. 20 The Freeman case specifically holds that properly understood, ostensible authority (also known as apparent authority) is nothing more than estoppel by representation.
What Is Agency By Estoppel? - BusinessGuide360.com
What are the three types of agency authority?
There are essentially three kinds of authority recognized in the law: actual authority (whether express or implied), apparent authority, and ratified authority.
What are the three types of estoppel?
by representation of fact, where one person asserts the truth of a set of facts to another; promissory estoppel, where one person makes a promise to another, but there is no enforceable contract; and. proprietary estoppel, where the parties are litigating the title to land.
What is another name for agency by estoppel?
Agency by estoppel, also known as apparent agency, is a legal principle that binds a principal to the actions of an agent even in the absence of an official agreement. This concept is part of the broader doctrine of estoppel, which plays a crucial role in real estate and M&A transactions.
What is apparent authority in agency law?
Apparent authority is the power of an agent to act on behalf of a principal, even though not expressly or impliedly granted. This power arises only if a third party reasonably infers, from the principal's conduct, that the principal granted such power to the agent.
What are the 4 components of agency?
The elements of the contract of agency are: (1) consent, express or implied, of the parties to establish the relationship; (2) the object is the execution of a juridical act in relation to a third person; (3) the agent acts as a representative and not for himself; (4) the agent acts within the scope of his authority.
What is estoppel in simple words?
In simple terms, estoppel is a legal rule that stops someone from going back on their word or changing their story if someone else reasonably relied on it and would be harmed by the change. It's like saying, "You can't deny what you said or did before, because I acted on it!".
What are the three elements of agency?
DEFINING AGENCY
agent; the person for whom the agent is acting is the principal. Parsing this definition reveals three primary elements of an agency relationship: (1) consent by the principal and the agent; (2) action by the agent on behalf of the principal; and (3) control by the principal.
Can an agency be terminated by estoppel?
An example of estoppel would be if a principal has consistently allowed an agent to make decisions on their behalf, and later claims the agent had no authority. An example of operation of law would be if a principal dies, which automatically ends the agency relationship.
What are some apparent authority examples?
For example, a customer may believe that an employee who presents a contract on company stationery is authorized to sign that contract on behalf of the company. Even if the employee does not have the authority to enter into contracts, the company will be legally bound by the signed agreement.
What is the difference between agency by estoppel and holding out?
Agency by holding out is a subset of agency by estoppel, where the principal's affirmative conduct leads third parties to believe that a person is their agent.
What are the three types of authority in contracting?
It explores the main types of authority, including express and implied actual authority, and apparent authority. The guidance also covers ratification, a process which allows a principal to retrospectively approve an agent's unauthorised actions and considers the burden of proof in disputes.
What is the difference between estoppel and apparent authority?
Simple Definition of authority by estoppel
Authority by estoppel, also known as apparent authority, arises when a principal's conduct leads a third party to reasonably believe that an agent has the power to act on the principal's behalf, even if the agent lacks actual authority.
What does agency by estoppel mean?
At its core, Agency by Estoppel (sometimes called Apparent Agency) occurs when one party (the principal) creates the impression that another person (the agent) has the authority to act on their behalf—even if there was never a formal agreement.
What are the five types of agency?
Here are the 6 agency types you need to know.
- Digital Marketing Agency.
- Growth Marketing Agency.
- Advertising Agency.
- Social Media Agency.
- Branding Agency.
- Public Relations (PR) Agency.
- The 6 Agency Types – Conclusion.
What is an example of an estoppel agency?
Say you're the owner of a building and you tell your agent to show an apartment to a possible tenant. The agent goes ahead and negotiates a lease even though you didn't give the agent any direct authority to do so. The tenant assumes the agent has the authority, and an agency by estoppel has been created.
What are the three types of agent authority?
In business transactions such as real estate, there are three types of authority that can be used – implied, apparent, and expressed.
What is an example of estoppel?
An estoppel example is an insurance company repeatedly accepting late payments, then being prevented (estopped) from canceling a policy for nonpayment because the insured reasonably relied on the past acceptance. Another is promissory estoppel, where a grandfather promises to pay for a grandchild's law school; the grandchild enrolls relying on the promise and incurs debt, preventing the grandfather from later denying payment because of detrimental reliance. Estoppel stops someone from contradicting their previous words or actions when another person relied on them to their detriment.
What is the simple meaning of estoppel?
Estoppel is a crucial legal principle that prevents someone from denying their previous statements, promises, or actions. In simpler terms, if a person makes a promise or claim and another person acts based on that, the first person cannot later go back on their word.
Is an estoppel legally binding?
An estoppel certificate is a legally binding document whereby a tenant represents or promises certain things regarding its lease or rental agreement to be true.
What is the burden of proof for estoppel?
Estoppel is considered an affirmative defense and the burden is on the defendant to prove the requirements of the defense are met. Court Opinions; POL. Affirmative defenses such as estoppel must be pled by the defendant and should be raised at the first opportunity to avoid the risk of waiver.