Page 410 - Latent Defect or Excessive Price?Exploring Early Modern Legal Approach to Remedying Defects in Goods Exchanged for Money - Bruijn

CHAPTER EIGHT
8.2.1 Limitation
As a result of the fact that the NBW does not define separate remedies for damages suffered because of non-conformity or non-performance difficulties arise with regard to limitation. One of these difficulties is caused by the fact that the buyer's claims for non- conformity expires within two years after discovery of the defect, but that other remedies the buyer might possibly want to institute based on the same facts, e.g. remedies for error or delict, last longer.
In the event a thing turns out not to be in conformity with what was agreed, article 7:23 NBW provides that both consumer-buyer and non-consumer-buyer22 in the first place must give the seller notice 'within due time (bekwame tijd)' of the defect's non-conformity after discovery of the defect.23 If the seller does not repair the non-conformity within 'a reasonable amount of time' the buyer can subsequently bring a remedy for what is left of two years following his notifying the seller of the thing's non-conformity with the contract's content.24
However, suppose that a delict underlies the non-conformity or that the non- conformity is caused by the seller's deliberate fraud. The buyer then has a right to damages due to non-conformity. After all, the NBW provides for that claim in the event of non-performance, of which non-conformity is a species.25 Indeed, article 7:24 for non- conformity in consumer sales states that in the event a consumer-buyer bought a non- conforming thing 'the buyer has a right to damages against the seller in accordance with sections 9 and 10, title one, book 6'.26 That is, the consumer-buyer can sue for loss in accordance with the general rules for non-performance.27 It does not follow from any provision that such should be otherwise in the event of a buyer who is not a consumer. How can the buyer claim his damages due to the non-conformity?
At this point matters become difficult. Unlike the remedies for non-conformity, the remedy for non-performance (wanprestatie) is subject to the general limitation period of five years counted from the moment the buyer could have instituted the remedy. As the BW does not explicitly pronounce upon the boundaries between the limitation of the buyer's remedies for non-conformity and that of his remedy for damages due to non-
22 E.g. business or enterprise or an individual buyer who buys for professional purposes.
23 Art. 7:23 (1) NBW: De koper kan er geen beroep meer op doen dat hetgeen is afgeleverd niet aan de overeenkomst beantwoordt, indien hij de verkoper daarvan niet binnen bekwame tijd nadat hij dit heeft ontdekt of redelijkerwijs had behoren te ontdekken, kennis heeft gegeven. Blijkt echter aan de zaak een eigenschap te ontbreken die deze volgens de verkoper bezat, of heeft de afwijking betrekking op feiten die hij kende of behoorde te kennen doch die hij niet heeft meegedeeld, dan moet de kennisgeving binnen bekwame tijd na de ontdekking geschieden. A phrase was added in 2003, because of the transposition of 1999/44/EC concerning consumer sales. Consumers had to inform the seller of non- conformity within 'due time (bekwame tijd)'. On the difficulties surrounding this addition see Verhoeven,
'Het gelijk', passim.
24 Art. 7:23 (2) NBW.
25 Art. 6:74 (1) jo. art. 6:96 BW.
26 Art. 7:24 (1) NBW: ... heeft de koper jegens de verkoper recht op schadevergoeding overeenkomstig de
afdelingen 9 en 10 van titel 1 van Boek 6.
27 Art. 6:74(1) NBW jo. 6:96 BW.
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