The acquisition of a vessel is not without risk for the aspiring yachtsman and the apparent good condition of a unit may conceal defects invisible to the untrained eye.<\/p>\n
While the boater wishing to protect himself against this risk can subscribe to all sorts of conventional (contractual) guarantees, certain guarantees provided by law can enable him to obtain compensation.<\/p>\n
The seller of a pleasure craft is therefore liable for the legal guarantee of conformity and the guarantee against hidden defects.<\/p>\n
Although the lack of conformity and the latent defect can be translated by the same material reality, French law distinguishes these concepts and draws a protection regime for the buyer articulated around two complementary guarantees.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The lack of conformity (articles L.217-4 of the Consumer Code) and the hidden defect (articles 1641 and following of the Civil Code) have similarities despite their distinct qualifications.<\/p>\n
Both must exist in a hidden form on the day of the sale. They differ in that from apparent defects which are purged by an acceptance without reserve of the good.<\/p>\n
We specify that the hidden nature of the defect and its existence at the date of purchase are the sine qua none conditions for the implementation of an action in warranty of hidden defects.<\/p>\n
According to the provisions of the Civil Code, a hidden defect must ” render the thing sold unfit for its intended use ” or “restrict that use in such a way that the buyer would not have acquired it or would have given a lower price for it if he had been aware of it”.<\/p>\n
According to the provisions of the Civil Code, a hidden defect must ” render the thing sold unfit for its intended use ” or “restrict that use in such a way that the buyer would not have acquired it or would have given a lower price for it if he had been aware of it”.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The legal guarantee of conformity as well as the guarantee of hidden defects aim to protect buyers in the context of sales contracts, whether the good is sold new or second-hand.<\/p>\n
We specify that the legal guarantee of conformity applies only in the presence of a professional seller and a consumer buyer within the meaning of the Consumer Code, which is ” any natural person who acts for purposes that do not fall within the scope of his or her commercial, industrial, artisanal, liberal or agricultural activity ” (preliminary article of the Consumer Code).<\/p>\n
On the contrary, the warranty for hidden defects is owed by any seller, including a private individual, provided that the latter is in good faith and has not evaded his obligation by the stipulation of an eviction clause of the warranty for hidden defects.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Les actions en garantie l\u00e9gale de conformit\u00e9 et en garantie des vices cach\u00e9s diff\u00e8rent par leurs conditions de mise en \u0153uvre, notamment au regard des d\u00e9lais de prescription.<\/p>\n
Depuis le 17 mars 2016, l\u2019action en garantie l\u00e9gale de conformit\u00e9 est prescrite par deux ans \u00e0 compter de la livraison du navire.<\/p>\n
La mise en \u0153uvre de la garantie l\u00e9gale de conformit\u00e9 pr\u00e9sente pour l\u2019acheteur l\u2019avantage de la pr\u00e9somption d\u2019existence du d\u00e9faut \u00e0 la date de la vente. Cette pr\u00e9somption est acquise pour 2 ans pour un bien vendu neuf et 6 mois pour un bien vendu d\u2019occasion.<\/p>\n
Dans ces d\u00e9lais, charge au vendeur de prouver que le d\u00e9faut n\u2019existait pas au jour de la vente.<\/p>\n
Aux termes des dispositions du Code de la consommation, l\u2019action en garantie l\u00e9gale de conformit\u00e9 pourra donner lieu \u00e0 un remplacement du bien ou \u00e0 sa r\u00e9paration aux frais du vendeur. Dans l\u2019hypoth\u00e8se o\u00f9 le remplacement et la r\u00e9paration sont impossibles, l\u2019acheteur pourra restituer le navire contre remboursement ou le conserver en l\u2019\u00e9tat et obtenir le remboursement partiel du prix de vente.<\/p>\n
Depuis le 19 f\u00e9vrier 2005, l\u2019action en garantie des vices cach\u00e9s est prescrite par deux ans \u00e0 compter de la d\u00e9couverte du vice, sous r\u00e9serve que celle-ci intervienne dans un d\u00e9lai de cinq ans \u00e0 compter de la vente.<\/p>\n
Il appartiendra ici \u00e0 l\u2019acheteur de rapporter la preuve de l\u2019existence du vice au jour de la transaction. Le rapport d\u2019un expert maritime sera susceptible de constituer une telle preuve.<\/p>\n
Une action en garantie des vices cach\u00e9s pourra donner lieu \u00e0 la restitution du navire contre son remboursement ou \u00e0 la conservation du navire assortie du remboursement partiel du prix de vente.<\/p>\n
A noter que pour l\u2019une et l\u2019autre des garanties \u00e9voqu\u00e9es, l\u2019interruption du d\u00e9lai de prescription n\u00e9cessite l\u2019introduction d\u2019une proc\u00e9dure judiciaire. En pratique il pourra s\u2019agir d\u2019une assignation en r\u00e9f\u00e9r\u00e9 \u2013 expertise, laquelle consiste \u00e0 solliciter la r\u00e9alisation d\u2019une expertise aupr\u00e8s du tribunal judiciaire.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Dans la mesure o\u00f9 la garantie l\u00e9gale de conformit\u00e9 est seulement applicable aux contrats de vente, elle ne pourra pas \u00eatre invoqu\u00e9e \u00e0 l\u2019issue de travaux de r\u00e9paration qui sont r\u00e9put\u00e9s avoir lieu dans le cadre du contrat de louage d\u2019ouvrage d\u00e9fini par l\u2019article 1710 du Code civil.<\/p>\n
Il est \u00e0 noter que le Code des transports assimile la r\u00e9paration \u00e0 la construction navale quant \u00e0 la garantie des vices cach\u00e9s (article L.5113-6). L\u2019acheteur pourra donc en b\u00e9n\u00e9ficier au terme de travaux de r\u00e9paration. Il devra toutefois se montrer prudent quant au d\u00e9lai de prescription. S\u2019il \u00e9tait question d\u2019un d\u00e9lai de deux ans \u00e0 compter de la d\u00e9couverte du vice pour une vente, ce d\u00e9lai se trouve r\u00e9duit de moiti\u00e9 dans le cadre d\u2019une r\u00e9paration (L.5113-5 Code des transports).<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
| <\/td>\n | Garantie l\u00e9gale de conformit\u00e9<\/strong><\/td>\n| Garantie des vices cach\u00e9s<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Textes de r\u00e9f\u00e9rences<\/strong><\/td>\n | Articles L.217-4 et suivants, Code de la consommation<\/td>\n | Articles 1641 et suivants, Code civil \/ Articles L.5113-2 et suivants, Code des transports<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Caract\u00e8re du d\u00e9faut<\/strong><\/td>\n | Occulte<\/td>\n | Occulte<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Intensit\u00e9 du d\u00e9faut<\/strong><\/td>\n | D\u00e9faut de nature \u00e0 rendre le bien impropre \u00e0 l\u2019usage habituellement attendu d\u2019un bien semblable ou non-conformit\u00e9 du bien aux caract\u00e9ristiques convenues entre les parties<\/td>\n | D\u00e9faut de nature \u00e0 rendre le bien impropre \u00e0 l\u2019usage auquel on le destine.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Applicabilit\u00e9 \u00e0 la r\u00e9paration navale<\/strong><\/td>\n | Non<\/td>\n | Oui<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | D\u00e9lai de prescription<\/strong><\/td>\n | 2 ans \u00e0 partir de la livraison<\/td>\n | Vente :<\/p>\n | 5 ans \u00e0 compter de la livraison pour d\u00e9couvrir le vice puis 2 ans \u00e0 compter de la d\u00e9couverte du vice<\/td>\n R\u00e9paration :<\/p>\n | 5 ans \u00e0 compter de la r\u00e9paration pour d\u00e9couvrir le vice puis 1 ans \u00e0 compter de la d\u00e9couverte du vice<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Sources :<\/p>\n Garantie l\u00e9gale de conformit\u00e9 : articles L.217-4 et s, Code de la consommation<\/p>\n Garantie des vices cach\u00e9s : articles 1641 et s, Code civil<\/p>\n Construction et r\u00e9paration navale : articles L.5113-2 et s, Code des transports<\/p>\n \u00ab Le droit de la plaisance : Guide en 50 fiches th\u00e9matiques \u00bb (Legisplaisance) Fiche 35<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The acquisition of a vessel is not without risk for the aspiring yachtsman and the apparent good condition of a unit may conceal defects invisible to the untrained eye. While the boater wishing to protect himself against this risk can subscribe to all sorts of conventional (contractual) guarantees, certain guarantees provided by law can enable […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2837","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-navigation-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n |