Page 421 - Latent Defect or Excessive Price?Exploring Early Modern Legal Approach to Remedying Defects in Goods Exchanged for Money - Bruijn

CONTEMPORARY CIVIL LAW
uncertainty which the old article 1648 Cc had caused by leaving the period in which the remedies for defects in the thing expired to be determined by local custom.82 Admittedly, the concept of non-conformity made its appearance in French law in the same year, but that was only in consumer sales. The Code de la consommation (Consumer Code) provides remedies in the event the movable thing bought does not conform to what was agreed on in the sales contract.83
8.4.1 Limitation
However, at the beginning of the 21st century, the law of limitation in the Code civil, which also touched upon the remedies for defects in things exchanged for money, underwent significant changes. In the view of some scholars, the way limitation of remedies had been organised in the Code civil according to 19th century principles constituted a veritable 'chaos'. Among other things, the general 30-year period for all remedies was considered too long and the many particular periods which deviated from this general period of limitation had made the law too complex.84 For example, though the factual situations of sales of encumbered immovables and of defective things only differed slightly, remedies for encumbered immovables lasted for 30 years beginning from the discovery of the encumbrance, whereas remedies for latent defects since 2005 expired after two years counted from the delivery of the thing.85
In answer to these supposed difficulties surrounding limitation, in 2005, a proposal for reforming the law of limitation and prescription saw the light; the Avant-projet de réforme de droit des obligations et du droit de la prescription.86 Though not all changes which the Avant-project proposed ultimately became law, a significant change took place concerning the general limitation period of remedies. By statute of 17 June 2008, the 30- year period after which remedies generally expire was reduced to a five-year period for personal actions and actions for movables counted from the moment the creditor became aware of the facts which open up a possibility to seek legal redress. To put a definite end to uncertainty about the status of things, a creditor has 20 years from the day his right came into existence to become acquainted with his right and to act accordingly ('long stop').87
82 Art. 1648 Cc (1804): L'action résultant des vices rédhibitoires, doit être intentée par l'acquéreur dans un bref délai, suivant la nature du vice rédhibitoire, et l'usage du lieu où a été faite la vente; art. 1648 Cc (2005): L'action résultant des vices rédhibitoires doit être intentée par l'acquéreur dans un délai de deux ans à compter de la découverte du vice...; the change was brought about by art. 3 Ordonnance n°2005- 136, 17 February 2005.
83 Art. L211-4 Consumer code 2005 (= L217-4 Consumer code 2016).
84 Catala, Avant-projet, p. 171; Zimmermann, 'Prescription', p. 807, with references to French literature.
85 See 7.3.3.
86 Catala, Avant-projet. The complete proposal can be retrieved from <www.justice.gouv.fr>.
87 Zimmermann, 'Prescription', p. 809; art. 2224 Cc (Modifié par LOI n°2008-561 du 17 juin 2008 - art. 1)
Les actions personnelles ou mobilières se prescrivent par cinq ans à compter du jour où le titulaire d'un droit a connu ou aurait dû connaître les faits lui permettant de l'exercer; art. 2232 Cc (Modifié par LOI n°2008-561 du 17 juin 2008 - art. 1): Le report du point de départ, la suspension ou l'interruption de la prescription ne peut avoir pour effet de porter le délai de la prescription extinctive au-delà de vingt ans à compter du jour de la naissance du droit...; for criticism on this arrangement see Zimmermann,
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