In short
It is a three-rule law and all three get used at the counter. First: no one in the business of repairing movable goods may take in an item to be analysed or repaired without giving the owner a receipt specifying the cost of the estimate, if any; whether the amount charged for the estimate will be applied to the repair cost; how long the estimate will take; and the warranty offered if the work is done. Second: they may not repair the item without the owner’s prior written authorization, after the corresponding estimate has been made. Third: they are barred from charging any amount for the estimate when the item they analysed cannot be repaired — and in those cases they must notify the owner of the item’s condition and return it to them as soon as possible. The Secretary of Consumer Affairs oversees compliance with all the powers of the Department’s organic act, and every violation is punishable by an administrative fine of up to ten thousand (10,000) dollars per infraction.
What is it?
The law does not define "movable good" or limit the trade, and the statement of motives makes clear that is intentional: it mentions as examples appliances, motor vehicles, lawnmowers and electronic equipment. It grows out of a problem described bluntly: free estimates are commonly offered, or a fee is charged for the estimate that is later applied to the repair, and when you leave your belongings in the technician’s hands you are at their mercy. The law does not object to charging for estimates; it objects to not disclosing in advance that the estimate carries a cost, and to items being repaired without the client’s consent.
Who can do it?
Anyone who hands a movable good to be analysed or repaired to someone in that business. There are no prerequisites and no procedure: these are duties the law places on the shop or technician from the moment they take the item in.
Requirements
Information pending verification.
Documents you need
Cost
Step by step
Step 1: Do not leave the item without a receipt
Article 1 admits no nuance: no one in the business of repairing movable goods shall take in any movable good to be analysed or repaired without giving its owner a receipt. And the law lists what that receipt must specify: (a) the estimate’s cost, if any; (b) whether the amount charged for the estimate will be applied to the repair cost; (c) how long the estimate will take; and (d) the warranty offered if the work is done. If any of the four is missing, the receipt does not comply.
Step 2: Authorize in writing, after the estimate
Article 2 prohibits repairing without the owner’s prior written authorization, after the corresponding estimate has been made. The order matters: first the estimate, then your signature, then the repair. If they hand you the item fixed and an invoice without you having authorized anything in writing, that sequence is what the law forbids.
Step 3: If it cannot be fixed, the estimate is not paid
It is the rule that saves the most money and is the least known. Anyone in this business is barred from charging any amount for the estimate when the movable good they analysed cannot be repaired. And in those cases they have two more duties: to notify the owner of the item’s condition, and to return it to them as soon as possible. That is, they may not keep your equipment nor charge you for telling you it is dead.
Step 4: Keep the receipt and file if needed
The receipt is the proof of all of the above: that they told you the estimate’s cost, whether it applied to the repair, the promised time and the warranty offered. The Secretary of Consumer Affairs is empowered to oversee compliance with all the powers of Act 5-1973, and every violation is punishable by an administrative fine of up to ten thousand (10,000) dollars per infraction, whose proceeds go into the Department’s own funds to strengthen its consumer protection resources.
Where to do it
Department of Consumer Affairs. The law expressly empowers its Secretary to oversee compliance, using all the powers and authority conferred by Act 5 of 23 April 1973, its organic act. Check services and regional offices at daco.pr.gov, or file online at serviciosenlinea.daco.pr.gov.
How long it takes
What to do if something goes wrong
The law is short and that has a consequence: it sets no deadline for delivering the finished repair, does not regulate storage or charges for leaving equipment at the shop a long time, and does not describe the complaint procedure. The time it does require to be disclosed in writing is how long the *estimate* will take, not the repair. If your problem is a shop taking months with already-authorized work, this law gives you no term to cite; what it gives you is the receipt with the warranty offered and the route to complain at DACO. Watch too for what this statute does not replace: if what broke is a motor vehicle or an electric generator under warranty, there are specific laws with their own remedies, and if the problem is a hidden defect in something you bought, the route is the Civil Code.
Common mistakes
- Leaving the item without a receipt, which is the first thing the law requires and the only proof of what was agreed.
- Accepting an incomplete receipt: the law asks for four items, not two.
- Authorizing the repair verbally or by phone when the law requires prior written authorization.
- Paying the estimate for an item that turned out to be beyond repair, which the law forbids charging for.
- Leaving without the item when it cannot be fixed: the shop must return it to you as soon as possible.
- Looking in this law for a repair deadline: the time disclosed in writing is the estimate’s.
Frequently asked questions
Can they charge me for the estimate?
Yes, as long as they tell you in writing beforehand: the receipt must specify the estimate’s cost, if any, and whether that amount will be applied to the repair cost. What they cannot do is charge you for the estimate when the item they analysed cannot be repaired.
They repaired it without asking me. Do I have to pay?
The law prohibits repairing without the owner’s prior written authorization after the estimate. That prohibition is the basis of the complaint; the law does not by itself declare that you owe nothing, but it does make unauthorized repair a violation punishable by an administrative fine of up to ten thousand dollars per infraction, and the forum to raise it is DACO.
Does it apply to an auto repair shop?
The law speaks of "movable goods" without limiting the trade, and its statement of motives expressly mentions motor vehicles among the examples, alongside appliances, lawnmowers and electronic equipment.
Can they keep my item if they cannot fix it?
No. When the item cannot be repaired, the law requires the shop to notify the owner of the item’s condition and to return it to them as soon as possible, in addition to barring any charge for the estimate.
Official sources
These are the government pages this guide is based on.
- Departamento de Asuntos del Consumidor (DACO)
DACO
bvirtualogp.pr.gov
- DACO services
DACO
www.daco.pr.gov
- DACO online services
DACO
serviciosenlinea.daco.pr.gov
Last verified
August 23, 2026
MiPRFácil is an independent informational website and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by the Government of Puerto Rico or any government agency.
MiPRFácil does not submit applications on your behalf.
Was this guide helpful?
Did you find out-of-date information?
How to file a consumer complaint with DACO
Three routes: online, on paper at a regional office, or by phone at 787-722-7555. And there is no single form.
Registered Mechanic (MR) licence: weights and measures, not cars
It is DACO’s licence to repair weighing and measuring instruments. $75, expires in a year, and 30 days after expiry you start over.
Car factory warranty: what must be honored in Puerto Rico
Act 7-1979 requires the factory warranty in Puerto Rico to be no worse than the U.S. one and to be honored here, wherever you bought the vehicle.
Generator warranty: repair, deadlines and getting your money back
Act 107-2019 requires honoring warranties on new generators and creates a special action that can end in contract resolution and a refund.
You bought something with a hidden defect: what you can claim
Whoever transfers an asset for value answers for eviction and hidden defects even if unaware of them. But the defect claim prescribes in 6 months.