How to put LUMA service in your name
The service transfer: the seven requirements, the meter number, and why you do not need a use permit.
August 13, 2026
Public Utilities
Electricity, water, tolls and other essential services.
231 guides
How to request new electric service from LUMA
The eight requirements LUMA asks for, why the use permit is needed, and how this differs from a transfer.
August 13, 2026
How to cancel LUMA service when you move out
Service disconnection: the single requirement, the three ways to request it, and why not to leave it pending.
August 13, 2026
How to submit your own meter reading to avoid estimated bills
The route LUMA publishes so your bill comes from your real consumption and not an estimate.
August 13, 2026
How to request the electric credit for medical equipment (Act 152)
The 50% credit for life-preserving equipment, and how it reaches 100% with the Familia letter.
August 13, 2026
How to report a streetlight that is out or damaged
LUMA’s streetlight repair request: where to file it and what is worth having noted down.
August 13, 2026
How to request tree trimming near power lines
LUMA’s trimming request, where to file it, and why it is not solved with a ladder.
August 13, 2026
How to register your generator with LUMA
The generator registration LUMA asks for, why it exists, and where to do it.
August 13, 2026
How to claim damaged equipment from LUMA after a power surge
The formal damage claim, what documents LUMA asks for, and why it cannot be filed online.
August 13, 2026
How to dispute a LUMA bill that does not add up
The bill inquiry, how to submit your own meter reading, and the medical equipment credit.
August 13, 2026
How to report a water leak or an outage in Puerto Rico
Which AAA number to call, at what hours, and what else you can resolve on the same call.
August 13, 2026
How to activate water service or put it in your name with AAA
The three routes to request water service: the Mi Acueductos portal, the (787) 620-2482 phone center and AAA’s offices.
August 26, 2026
Integrated Service Centers (CSI): many procedures, one building
What the CSIs are, which agencies attend (Demographic Registry, CESCO, Treasury, Medicaid, WIC), where the 21 centers are, and how to book.
August 16, 2026
Prescription: how long they can collect from you or sue you
Personal actions prescribe in 4 years and damages in 1 year from learning who caused them. Acknowledging the debt restarts the clock.
August 16, 2026
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.
August 16, 2026
Express line and priority turns: who qualifies and where
Act 297-2018 requires agencies, municipalities and private entities with public funds to give priority turns. Who qualifies and the fine for refusing.
August 23, 2026
Debt collection agencies: the 15 practices the law forbids them
Act 143-1968 licenses collection agencies and forbids fifteen practices, from threatening violence to charging additional fees never agreed to.
August 23, 2026
Emergency price freeze: it is automatic and the fine is $10,000
Since Act 52-2019, prices of essential goods freeze automatically when the emergency is declared. Who enforces it and how big the fine is.
August 23, 2026
Taking something in for repair: receipt, estimate and written approval
Act 272-2000 makes the shop give you a four-item receipt, bars repairs without your written approval, and bans charging for the estimate if it cannot be fixed.
August 23, 2026
Gas cylinders: a 20-pound tank must contain 20 pounds
Act 18-2022 requires each cylinder to contain the net weight of its capacity, certified by an authorized weigher, with the net content labeled.
August 23, 2026
Bill of Rights for People with Disabilities: the 33 in Article 4
Act 238-2004 lists thirty-three rights, from reasonable accommodation to medical confidentiality, and requires every law to be read liberally in your favour.
August 23, 2026
Assistance animal: where you may enter and what may be asked of you
Act 51-1970 lets you enter public transport and establishments with your assistance animal at no extra charge, and punishes whoever prevents it.
August 23, 2026
Rent-to-own: the right to reinstate your contract
If you fell behind and returned the item within 5 days, you may reinstate the contract without losing what you paid. Late fees cap at $3 or 10%.
August 23, 2026
Self-storage: when they lock you out and when they can auction
After 7 days they may deny you access with no notice. But auctioning requires two notices, a notarial inventory and a published edict.
August 23, 2026
Funeral homes: the price list and what else the law guarantees you
Every funeral home must give each client a list of the costs of each good and service. And a rented casket must be disclosed in writing beforehand.
August 23, 2026
Your data was breached: what they must tell you, and how fast
The entity has a non-extendable 10 days to inform DACO, and DACO 24 hours to announce it. You must be notified as expeditiously as possible.
August 23, 2026
Telemarketing: the hours, the consent and the free trial
They may not call a residence outside 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., nor call or message you without prior consent. And your silence is not a yes.
August 23, 2026
Credit union member: your rights, and when they are suspended
You may examine the books through a sworn request. But all your rights are suspended if you are not current — even on a loan you merely co-signed.
August 23, 2026
Consumer Bill of Rights: 12 rights you can cite
Article 7A of Act 5-1973 gives you a copy of the contract before signing, bans blank spaces, and protects access to water and power without a property title.
August 23, 2026
Seniors: 90 days for an agency to resolve your case
From age 67, Act 147-2019 puts agencies on a clock: a strict 90 days to resolve, 45 for the written order, and 30 to start if your health is at stake.
August 23, 2026
Insurance: 15 days to acknowledge, 90 to resolve, 30 to reconsider
Article 1.120 of the Insurance Code puts dates on your claim and bars treating an unaccepted cheque as a waiver of your claims.
August 23, 2026
Cancelling cell, internet or TV: the penalty must drop every month
Act 157-2013 bans early termination charges unless prorated, with monthly reductions and a term that never exceeds two years.
August 23, 2026
Cancelling a contract the same way you signed it
Act 132-2015 requires an adhesion contract to be terminable the same way it began, and that you be told the cancellation routes before signing.
August 23, 2026
Pawnshops: maximum interest, deadlines and when they can sell
Act 23-2011 sets interest between 5% and 20% per 30 days, caps service charges at $1, and requires holding the item 30 more days after maturity.
August 23, 2026
Paid parking: damage, theft and overcharging
Act 120-1973 gives DACO primary jurisdiction over your claim for vehicle damage or overcharging, and treats the operator as a bailee.
August 23, 2026
The tip is calculated on the consumption, not the total with sales tax
Act 9-2018 bars a business from calculating the tip on the total price including sales tax. The base is the consumption total only.
August 23, 2026
Weights and measures: the scale in view and net weight on the package
Act 145-1968 requires scales within consumers’ reach to verify packages and bans the words "approximately", "when packed" and "when cut".
August 23, 2026
Old electronics: the store is obliged to take them back
Act 18-2012 requires retailers to receive the electronic equipment a consumer decides to return or discard, and to say so at the point of sale.
August 26, 2026
Cancelled show: the 15-day refund and the Saturday refund window
Act 182-1996 requires the promoter to refund tickets within 15 days, give you at least 7 to ask, and open eight working hours including Saturday.
August 23, 2026
Civil Lawsuit Registry: what the government has been sued for and what it paid
Act 1-2003 created at Justice a public registry of government civil lawsuits over $5,000, with the amount claimed and the amount awarded or agreed.
August 23, 2026
Surcharge for paying by card: prohibited, and in leases too
Act 150-2008 bars any merchant from charging extra for using a credit or debit card, in both sale and lease transactions.
August 23, 2026
Personal data when you buy: they cannot require it to complete the sale
Act 38-2016 bars requiring your phone, address, licence or SSN to complete a purchase, whatever the payment method.
August 23, 2026
Previous subscriber’s water debt: not yours, and they cannot deny you service
Act 14-2014 bars PRASA from charging you a previous subscriber’s water balance at the same property or denying you service until it is paid.
August 23, 2026
Billed for power you never received: objecting freezes the charge
Act 3-2018 bars billing consumption the Authority did not generate during an emergency, and the mere objection freezes collection of the disputed amount.
August 23, 2026
Solar panels and batteries: the OGPe certification they must have
Before being sold for installation in Puerto Rico, renewable energy equipment needs an OGPe certification. What it requires and how it helps you.
August 15, 2026
Infrastructure Recommendation Application: when your project needs power
The form an engineer uses to ask LUMA for a load study, plan endorsement or the connection of solar panels.
August 15, 2026
Call and Ride: AMA transport for those who cannot board a bus
AMA’s ADA paratransit. You must be certified eligible, the application is processed in 21 business days, and the no-show policy has exact numbers.
August 16, 2026
The AMA bus: which towns it reaches, how many routes there are, and how to complain
AMA runs 24 routes and 101 buses across eight metro-area municipalities, plus 44 Call and Ride buses.
August 16, 2026
Your electric bill claim was denied: review before the Energy Bureau
You must exhaust the informal process with the company first. Then the amount decides whether your case goes summary or ordinary.
August 14, 2026
Complaint before the Energy Bureau (everything that is not the bill)
The forum adjudicates far more than bills: energy public policy, AEE non-compliance, interconnection and contracts.
August 14, 2026
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.
August 14, 2026
What filing a case costs: Puerto Rico court fees and stamps
The Judiciary’s official fee schedule: complaints, appeals, copies, weddings, service of process and marshal’s work.
August 14, 2026
Summoned for jury duty in Puerto Rico: what to do, what you are paid, and what happens if you skip it
The Bureau’s questionnaire, the five requirements, paid leave of up to 15 working days, the fine of no less than $500, and your job protection.
August 14, 2026
Your day in court in Puerto Rico: how to behave, when you speak, and what to do if you lose
The courtroom rules, what to do when called to testify, the order in which parties speak, and how to ask for reconsideration on the spot.
August 14, 2026
Free court-run mediation in Puerto Rico: settling without suing
Mediation Centers in all thirteen judicial regions — free, voluntary and confidential, in person or by videoconference.
August 14, 2026
Ley 140: the court’s fast track for neighbour, mechanic, wage and contractor disputes
Any adult can file, the hearing is set within no more than 5 days, and the outcome is a binding Provisional Statement of Right.
August 14, 2026
Going to court without a lawyer in Puerto Rico: what self-representation requires, and what you will not be given
The four requirements, when to request it, why permission can be suspended, and the Pro Se Centers that guide you free of charge.
August 14, 2026
How Puerto Rico’s court system is organized, and who is who in the courtroom
The three levels and what each is for, why you do not testify at the Court of Appeals, and what each official you will meet does.
August 14, 2026
Puerto Rico court marshals: which orders they serve and when they knock on your door
The seven orders they carry out — from serving process to evictions — the Special Marshals Unit, and why they are the ones who attend the jury.
August 14, 2026
The Bill of Rights: what Puerto Rico’s Constitution guarantees you
The Bill of Rights sections explained, including the labour ones — eight-hour day, overtime, strikes and picketing — and the three statutory bills of rights.
August 14, 2026
Requesting a document from the government: the Transparency Act
Anyone can request public information without explaining why. 20 business days, 30 if old or bulky, and silence is a denial that opens the courthouse.
August 15, 2026
ICP grants for artists and cultural projects
The Basic Arts Grant Program funds projects by individual artists, 501(c)(3) nonprofits and governmental entities, through annual calls.
August 15, 2026
DRD programmes: where your child can play and what to sign first
The DRD runs about 122 Sports Development Centers and around 40 adapted ones, the Juegos de Puerto Rico for ages 7 to 18, and school sport by semester.
August 15, 2026
Mi Acueductos: registering and managing your water account
Where you pay your water bill and set up direct debit: the data to link your account and the 30-minute activation link.
August 14, 2026
How your water bill is calculated and what the AAA charges per service
The base charge by meter diameter, the consumption blocks, and the reconnection, disconnection and connection charges.
August 14, 2026
Your image used without consent: Act 139-2011 and its $750 to $100,000 damages
If they use your name, photo, voice or an AI-made version of you to sell without permission, you can stop it and claim damages. You have 1 year.
August 24, 2026
They threw out the files with your data: how the law requires destroying them
Act 234-2014 requires shredding, deleting or modifying files with personal information before discarding them, and recording it before a notary.
August 24, 2026
Your receipt faded: the store had to print it on durable material
Act 95-2006 requires every establishment to issue receipts and warranties in permanent ink and paper lasting more than a year, or as long as the warranty.
August 24, 2026
The previous tenant’s electric debt: they cannot charge you or deny you service
Act 7-2014 forbids charging a new customer the previous subscriber’s balance at the same property, and forbids denying them service for that reason.
August 24, 2026
"The warranty does not apply in Puerto Rico": selling that appliance is prohibited
Act 93-1971 forbids selling in Puerto Rico household articles and appliances with warranty certificates that do not include Puerto Rico in their coverage.
August 24, 2026
Free veterinary clinics: the provisional licence that makes them possible
Act 86-2020 lets veterinarians licensed in the U.S. or Canada offer free services here with a shelter, through a provisional licence at no cost.
August 24, 2026
Movie ratings: the notice the cinema must post before selling you the ticket
Act 141-2002 requires cinemas and stores to post in Spanish and English what each rating means, and to warn if adult trailers will run in children’s showings.
August 24, 2026
Computer with used parts: the label, the 10 days and the full refund
Act 240-2006 requires a 1x2-inch bilingual label and gives you repair in 10 days or a full refund if you are sold equipment with used parts without notice.
August 24, 2026
Video games: the store notice and the rating every ad must carry
Act 420-2004 requires stores to post in both languages what each video game rating means, and every local ad to include the game’s rating.
August 24, 2026
Single-use plastics: the ban exists, but is under moratorium until 2027
Act 51-2022 bans handing out or selling single-use plastics, but its prohibition and fines are under moratorium until December 31, 2026.
August 24, 2026
If a law school legal clinic serves you, you are exempt from court fees
Act 81-1964 exempts people receiving free legal services from law school clinics from paying fees, stamps and taxes.
August 24, 2026
Coffee: how the label tells you if it is Puerto Rican or foreign
Act 60-1964 requires the label to state who processed the coffee and whether it is foreign, in letters no less than a quarter inch tall.
August 24, 2026
Unequal prizes for men and women: when it is illegal and whom to claim from
Act 10-1996 bans awarding women less than men in equal categories, at sports events that receive public funds.
August 24, 2026
An official overcharged you: the law that punishes it per infraction
An 1904 law punishes with a $25-$500 fine per infraction any official who maliciously demands or receives fees greater than the law allows.
August 24, 2026
Donating food without fear of being sued: the good samaritan law
Act 66-1993 shields from civil and criminal liability anyone who donates healthy-looking food in good faith to a gleaner or a nonprofit.
August 24, 2026
Civil Rights Commission: what it can do for you and what it cannot
Act 102-1965 creates the Civil Rights Commission, which investigates and educates but does not adjudicate individual cases or grant remedies.
August 24, 2026
Officials and paid Olympic trips: the ban that lasts four more years
Act 165-2012 bars officials, mayors, judges and legislators from traveling with the Olympic delegation at the expense of COPUR or entities receiving public funds.
August 24, 2026
Government ads: the sign language interpreter and the one-third screen rule
Act 266-2018 requires a sign language interpreter in every government ad with sound, no smaller than one third of the visual, plus subtitles.
August 24, 2026
Cement: what the bag must say and the bond that answers if it fails
Act 132-2001 requires every cement bag to state in Spanish and English the type, factory and importer, and requires a million-dollar bond from importers.
August 24, 2026
What a clothing label must say by law
Act 134-1980 requires every textile product to carry a label with fibers by generic name, each one’s percentage, and the country of manufacture.
August 24, 2026
Your cell phone or cable contract cannot renew itself
Act 76-2015 bans automatic renewal clauses in cell phone and paid TV contracts: at expiry, the contract becomes month to month.
August 24, 2026
How often your electric meter must be read and what the bill must say
Act 80-1972 requires the electric meter be read at least once every two months and lists the data the bill must carry so you can verify it.
August 24, 2026
Objecting to the bill: service cannot be suspended while you claim
Act 33-1985 gives 20 days to object to the AAA bill, requires an investigation within 30, and bars suspending service while the procedure is pending.
August 24, 2026
They must hand you a copy of the note and everything you signed
Act 96-1971 requires handing the debtor a copy of the note and any other signed document, and caps how much of your savings can be pledged.
August 24, 2026
Extended appliance warranty: it is optional and they must tell you
Act 95-1971 requires separate contracts, makes the service contract optional, bars pressure, and gives a DACO complaint if it is forced on you.
August 25, 2026
AI in government: your right to speak with a human
Act 116-2026 requires agencies to warn you before an AI system takes over and gives you the right to ask for a human at any stage.
August 25, 2026
Single digital record: no more carrying the same papers
Act 6-2025 creates one digital record across Health, Family, Education and Vocational Rehabilitation, and bars demanding papers already stored in it.
August 25, 2026
Pet insurance: what the insurer must disclose to you
Act 186-2026 regulates pet insurance in Puerto Rico: fifteen days to return the policy, a 30-day waiting-period cap, and no waiting period for accidents.
August 26, 2026
A loan does not generate interest unless expressly agreed
Act 131-2026 clarifies the Civil Code: every loan is presumed interest-free unless the parties expressly agree otherwise.
August 26, 2026
Report fraud against public funds and receive a reward
Act 154-2018 lets any person sue on the government's behalf over fraud and collect between 10% and 30% of what is recovered.
August 26, 2026
Government services for deaf people and sign language interpreters
The Deaf Community Liaison Office interprets, assists and refers before agencies. Act 48-2026 ordered a catalogue of every service.
August 27, 2026
Asking the court to disqualify a lawyer
Rule 9.3 now lists the five criteria the court must weigh, and requires hearing the lawyer before ruling.
August 27, 2026
Works that affect your service: they must give 30 days’ notice
Act 57-2026 requires every agency to publish its improvement projects and to start informing 30 days before, or 48 hours before if unforeseen.
August 28, 2026
DRD volunteer inspectors: what they can and cannot do
Act 180-2026 creates the DRD Volunteer Inspector Corps to observe, orient and document, with no punitive or quasi-police functions.
August 28, 2026
Expert drafts: what the other side can no longer request
Act 172-2026 gives work-product protection to expert report drafts and attorney-expert communications. Three exceptions remain that the court may still order.
August 29, 2026
Subpoenaing a witness outside Puerto Rico
Act 178-2026 lets you request the subpoena at your own court’s clerk office when the witness is in another state, without submitting to that state’s courts.
August 29, 2026
Who represents the agency at your administrative hearing
Act 194-2026 lets agencies use their own or contracted attorneys. Any settlement you negotiate with them needs the Justice Department’s prior approval.
August 29, 2026
If a government website is not accessible, there is a complaint and a fine
Act 229-2003 requires every public entity, municipalities included, to keep its website accessible. The complaint goes to the Defensoría and the fine reaches $2,500.
August 29, 2026
ATMs: braille and headphone access are mandatory
Act 201-2008 requires banks, cooperatives and private companies to put braille keypads and headphone systems on all their ATMs.
August 29, 2026
The Disability Defence Office: what it can do for you
Act 158-2015 gives the Defensoría power to adjudicate complaints, order corrective action, fine up to $5,000 and charge fees to the losing party.
August 29, 2026
Free legal representation for people with disabilities
Act 64-2021 creates an independent office that provides legal services, investigates abuse and neglect, and can bring actions against the Government of Puerto Rico.
August 29, 2026
What each agency does for people with disabilities
Act 84-2019 requires each agency to publish on its website a chapter on its disability programmes, and to say so if it has none.
August 29, 2026
Which products fall under the price freeze
Act 131-2005 names the first-necessity goods and services freezable in an emergency, and JR 49-2023 added dog and cat food.
August 29, 2026
Roads to the beach and nature trails
Act 314-2000 declares royal roads and time-immemorial beach accesses public, and creates DRNA’s Register of Natural Trails.
August 30, 2026
Entering or exploring a cave: what the law allows
Act 111-1985 protects caves and sinkholes: eight prohibited acts, fines up to $10,000, and permits requiring written consent.
August 30, 2026
Adopt a Hectare: donating to conserve land
Act 108-2001 creates a DRNA programme giving a certificate, photo, a sign with your name and visits to those who donate to acquire high-value natural areas.
August 30, 2026
COSSEC insurance: $100,000 per member
COSSEC insures shares and deposits up to $100,000 against insolvency. Not every co-op is under COSSEC: some remain federally insured.
August 30, 2026
Fishing licence in Puerto Rico
Seven licence types with different terms, separate permits for lobster and conch, and fines of $100 to $5,000 for each illegal catch.
August 31, 2026
Sport hunting licence in Puerto Rico
It lasts five years and expires on your birthday. It needs a hunter course, a medical certificate and a clean record, and renews this way only three times.
August 31, 2026
Where and when you may hunt in Puerto Rico
No hunting in state forests, on public roads or within a hundred metres of dwellings. You must carry the licence and the weapon’s registration on you.
August 31, 2026
Permits for exotic species in Puerto Rico
Possessing, importing, selling or transporting an exotic species without a prior DRNA permit is illegal, and so is advertising it online. Fines run per specimen.
August 31, 2026
Wildlife in captivity and rehabilitation
Keeping wildlife in captivity, or taking nests, eggs or young, requires written authorisation from the DRNA Secretary. The Act names the permits that exist.
August 31, 2026
Reporting irregularities to the Inspector General
Any citizen can report fraud or misuse of public funds through the confidential line. But the OIG does not audit municipalities, the UPR or the other branches.
September 2, 2026
Adopt a Highway: how it works
A formal agreement with DTOP to maintain a stretch of state road. The agency installs two signs with your name and offers technical guidance.
September 2, 2026
Tren Urbano: hours and tickets
16 stations across San Juan, Guaynabo and Bayamón, every day from 5:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. The ticket machines take cash only.
September 2, 2026
ATI fares: train and bus
The regular fare is $0.75 and routes 20 and 30 cost $2.00. The unlimited card runs from $5.00 for a day to $90.00 for ninety.
September 2, 2026
The interest a court judgment pays
OCIF certifies two interest rates on judgment amounts every six months: one for government, one for everyone else.
September 2, 2026
If your cooperative’s assembly lacks quorum
Act 165-2025 cut the wait for a second call from an hour to thirty minutes in diverse-type cooperatives.
September 2, 2026
Who runs a cooperative: the Board and the Executive
The Board sets policy and appoints the Chief Executive; the Executive administers. COSSEC clarified both roles bindingly.
September 2, 2026
What happens after your OPPEA complaint
The Procurador may impose fines up to $10,000 and damages, emotional ones included. They may also decline to investigate.
September 3, 2026
Can your municipality fix the street lighting?
Energy Bureau Regulation 9774 opens three levels of municipal work on street lighting, and prohibits the rest.
September 3, 2026
Aqueduct and sewer works: from the permit to the AAA connection
The fast certification route fits six equivalent units, 2,400 gallons a day and a one-inch meter.
September 4, 2026
Recycling in the permit: six cubic yards per fifty units
Every new project must designate a recyclables recovery area, separate from ordinary waste, with water, signposted and sized by table.
September 4, 2026
Renewable energy system: five days to certify and five to interconnect
The installation certification is filed with OGPe within five working days, and the AEE interconnects within five days of the Permiso Único.
September 4, 2026
The business generator: the permit, the AEE endorsement and the five days
The designer must be a Professional Engineer, the endorsement is filed by the AEE’s means, and after the Permiso Único interconnection comes within five days.
September 4, 2026
Advertisements in parks, bus stops and terminals: fifty square feet and a clear sidewalk
Each bus stop advertisement needs an individual permit, may not exceed 50 square feet and may not block pedestrian passage.
September 6, 2026
When two things belonging to different owners are joined or mixed
The owner of the principal thing keeps the accessory and pays its value; if they were mixed, each acquires a proportional share.
September 7, 2026
Putting an asset up as security for a debt: the common rules
The creditor may not keep the asset outside an execution, and any agreement saying otherwise is null and treated as unwritten.
September 7, 2026
The pledge: leaving a movable asset as security for a debt
The creditor retains it until paid and may not use it without permission. To sell it: a notary, a public auction and summons to the debtor.
September 7, 2026
Antichresis: paying the debt with a property’s fruits
The creditor collects from the fruits and in exchange pays taxes, conserves the property and renders accounts. But they may hand it back whenever they wish.
September 7, 2026
Having first claim to buy something: option, tanteo and retracto
They are real rights only if set in a public instrument and recorded. Without that they bind the parties but not third parties.
September 7, 2026
The option to purchase: how long it lasts and what it must say
As a real right it lasts five years on immovables and two on movables. Once recorded it is an encumbrance and binds later buyers.
September 8, 2026
Selling with a right to buy back: the pacto de retroventa
Absent express agreement it lasts four years; agreed, no more than ten. And if the buyer takes no possession, the law presumes a mortgage loan.
September 8, 2026
What an obligation is and where it comes from
Six sources, and the list stays open. Whoever performs knowing they were not bound cannot demand it back.
September 8, 2026
Delivering a thing: accessories, expenses and who bears the loss
Whoever must deliver must also preserve, hand over the accessories and pay the delivery expenses. Receiving costs fall on the creditor.
September 8, 2026
Money debts: what they are paid in and when interest runs
The Code requires payment in the specie agreed and, failing that, in legal tender. It says "legal interest", and Article 1169 says which.
September 8, 2026
When what is promised is conduct: doing, not doing, and undoing bad work
If they do not do it or do it badly, performance is ordered carried out at the debtor’s cost and bad work can be ordered undone.
September 8, 2026
One thing or another is owed: who chooses and when it is fixed
The choice is the debtor’s unless given to someone else, and it only takes effect once notified. Once notified, it stops being alternative.
September 8, 2026
Several debtors: when each pays a share and when one is charged the lot
Solidarity is not presumed: the obligation or the law must say so. Without it, the debt is presumed divided into equal parts.
September 8, 2026
What can be performed in parts and what cannot
If there are several and the performance can be split, each owes their part and one who defaults does not oblige the others.
September 8, 2026
No date and no place agreed: when and where performance is due
With no term, payment is due at once unless the deal implies a tacit one. With no place, the municipality where the debtor resides.
September 8, 2026
No one has to accept part payment or a different thing
The obligation is extinguished when what is owed is delivered in full. The creditor cannot be compelled to take part, or something else.
September 8, 2026
Paying for someone else, and paying the wrong person
Anyone may pay another’s debt, with or without permission. But paying someone unauthorized does not always release you.
September 8, 2026
Several debts with one creditor: which one your payment goes to
You choose at the moment of paying, but interest comes first. And a receipt for principal with no reservation presumes interest paid.
September 8, 2026
The creditor will not take payment: releasing yourself by consignment
Four cases open consignment. If the court finds it well made after an unreasonable refusal, it sanctions the creditor up to 5%.
September 8, 2026
Settling with something other than what is owed: giving in payment
It takes agreement, at the very moment the different thing is handed over. No new obligation arises: the existing one is performed.
September 8, 2026
Paying another’s debt and keeping the credit and its securities
Subrogation is not presumed outside the Code’s cases: it must be clearly established. In three cases it is presumed.
September 8, 2026
If you owe me and I owe you: when debts cancel themselves out
They are extinguished in the concurring amount, even if neither knows. But five requirements apply, and some debts are excluded.
September 8, 2026
When the one who collects and the one who owes become the same person
The obligation is extinguished together with its securities. But the heir’s own debts are not merged with the estate’s.
September 8, 2026
What cannot be attached from you: the Civil Code list
Eleven subsections with dollar caps: $10,000 in household goods, $10,000 in trade equipment, the work vehicle and three quarters of wages.
September 8, 2026
From when someone is late: delay and its four exceptions
As a rule you must demand, in or out of court. But with a certain date in the contract, delay runs by itself.
September 8, 2026
Carelessness, bad faith or bad luck: who answers for what
With no agreed standard, that of a prudent and reasonable person applies. Waiving the action for wilful breach is void.
September 8, 2026
What is claimed when someone breaches: loss suffered and gain not made
A good-faith debtor answers for what was foreseeable at contracting; one who breaches wilfully, for everything. On money debts, interest.
September 8, 2026
Forgiving a debt: when conduct is enough and when form is required
Voluntarily handing you the private document of the debt implies waiving the action. And if you hold it, delivery is presumed.
September 8, 2026
Swapping the debt for another: when the old one is really extinguished
Changing the deal is not enough: it must be declared categorically or both obligations must be totally incompatible.
September 8, 2026
Your debt was sold to someone else: what happens to what you owe
If you paid the old creditor before learning of the assignment, you are released. And the assignment carries all accessory rights.
September 8, 2026
Passing on your share of an inheritance: what you answer for and what not
Whoever assigns an inheritance without listing its contents answers only for their capacity as heir. Fruits already taken are credited.
September 8, 2026
They bought your debt mid-lawsuit: you can settle it for what they paid
You reimburse the price, the costs and the interest, and the credit is extinguished. But the period is thirty days of caducidad.
September 8, 2026
Keeping the thing until you are paid: the right of retention
No court permission is needed to retain, but the retainer may not use the thing or keep it: any agreement otherwise is void.
September 8, 2026
What you sign has the force of law: the limits of freedom to contract
You may contract or not, and with whom you like, but not abusively. And what the contract omits is filled by law, usage and good faith.
September 8, 2026
From when there is a deal: the offer, the acceptance and the exact moment
Consent exists when the offeror receives the acceptance. And replying with changes is not accepting: it is a new offer.
September 8, 2026
Which deals must be put in a document, and the one the law forbids
Five cases must appear in a public or private instrument for evidentiary purposes. And a contract on a future inheritance is forbidden.
September 8, 2026
The contract you could not negotiate: seven clauses that are annullable
If one party drafted the form, it is read against them. And the Code marks seven clauses as especially annullable.
September 8, 2026
Bringing someone else into the deal: naming, promising for another, or in their favour
You may reserve naming later who takes your place; failing an agreed period, thirty days. And a benefit to a third party is revocable until they accept.
September 8, 2026
I will not perform until you do: when you may hold back your side
In reciprocal contracts you may refuse to perform while the other neither performs nor offers to. And if they half-perform, you reduce proportionally.
September 8, 2026
Ending the contract without suing: the six rules
The power to rescind out of court is implicit, but needs delay, a requirement with warning, and it operates when that requirement expires.
September 8, 2026
Earnest money: what you lose, or return doubled, if you back out
Whoever gives them and backs out loses them; whoever receives them and backs out returns as much again. Only until performance begins.
September 8, 2026
The penalty the contract sets: when it is collected and when a judge tempers it
The court must recognize the agreed clause and may only temper it where there is extreme economic disproportion with the performance.
September 8, 2026
When the deal ended up lopsided: annulling it or readjusting it
If the advantage exceeds half the promised value, taking advantage is presumed. And if an unforeseeable event made it excessive, there are six months.
September 8, 2026
The deal fell through before signing: when there is liability
Pre-contract dealings require loyalty and good faith. Breaking them off suddenly, inopportunely or arbitrarily obliges you to compensate expenses and reliance harm.
September 9, 2026
What a sale is, when it is a barter, and what form it needs
Transferring ownership for a certain price. If part of the price is another thing, it is still a sale as long as the money is worth the same or more.
September 9, 2026
Who may not buy and what may in fact be sold
Officials and judges, arbitrators, mediators, attorneys, procuradores and prosecutors face prohibitions. And a future or another’s thing may indeed be sold.
September 9, 2026
The thing bought was destroyed: until when the risk is the seller’s
Risk does not pass to the buyer until the seller places the thing at their disposal. If shipping was requested, it passes on handing it to the carrier.
September 9, 2026
What the seller must do and what the buyer must do
Seven duties for the seller and six for the buyer, plus the warranty deadlines: four years for immovables, six months for movables.
September 9, 2026
The price in a sale: who sets it and what if the parcel measures otherwise
The sale is void if the price is left to one party’s will. And if agreed by measure, a deviation over 5% lets the buyer rescind.
September 9, 2026
Pacts that may be added to a sale, and one that is void
Repurchase, return, preference and retention of title. The "better buyer" clause is void and deemed unwritten.
September 9, 2026
Barter: swapping one thing for another with no price between them
Each party has a seller’s obligations, except the expenses, split evenly. And if what you received is taken, you may claim back what you gave.
September 9, 2026
The loan in the Civil Code: what is handed over and what comes back
Fungible goods are handed over in ownership and the same quantity, kind and quality comes back. And if the lender fails to deliver, there is a remedy.
September 9, 2026
Interest on a loan: when it is owed and what happens if it is excessive
A clause obliging a natural person to pay more interest than the rules allow is void: only 75% of the principal may be collected.
September 9, 2026
A loan with no due date: ten days from the demand
With no agreed time, payment is made within ten days of the demand. And the lender answers for bad quality in what was lent, with nuances.
September 9, 2026
The financial lease: they finance the thing and give you the option to buy it
The lessor finances the acquisition, transfers possession and grants a purchase option. That option’s price and duration must be clear.
September 9, 2026
Financial lease: what the lessor owes, what the lessee owes
Once three quarters of the thing’s price are paid and the option is communicated, the lessor must sell, save agreement otherwise. And it pays the policy.
September 9, 2026
A financial lease goes in writing — and on an immovable, by deed and recorded
On immovables it needs a public deed and recording, whatever its duration, with a ten-year maximum. And without recording it is not effective against third parties.
September 9, 2026
You fell behind on the lease: what the lessor may do, and when
On immovables, the more you have paid the longer they wait: 60 days past a quarter of the cánones, 120 past three quarters. On movables, five days.
September 9, 2026
The services contract, and how it differs from a contract for works
The provider supplies a service, without being subordinate, for a price. It is agreed for a set time; if not, supply-contract rules apply.
September 9, 2026
Services contract: what the client owes and what the provider owes
Two duties for the principal and four for the provider, including the ordinary materials and a reasonable time where none was agreed.
September 9, 2026
Cancelling a service: the lost profit gets paid too
The principal may rescind even after work began, but pays expenses, work done, and the profit the provider could have obtained.
September 9, 2026
What you owe whoever acts for you: pay, expenses, and accounts in 30 days
A mandate is presumed paid. And if you do not protest the final accounts within thirty days of their rendering, they are deemed accepted.
September 9, 2026
Acting for another: the mandatary’s eleven duties and two rights
Execute personally, follow instructions, disclose conflicts and render accounts. And they may retain the goods with preference until paid.
September 9, 2026
When a mandate ends, and what still counts once it has
It ends by full execution, expiry, death or incapacity — except a durable power — and by revocation. Acts done before learning of it stay valid.
September 9, 2026
Leaving something in safekeeping: a deposit is presumed paid
Article 1457 presumes the deposit is paid for, and 1460 bars requiring you to prove ownership to get it back.
September 10, 2026
They keep your goods: they cannot use them, but can hold them if you owe
Article 1461 bars the depositary from using the good and requires discretion; 1463 lets it hold the good until full payment.
September 10, 2026
Lending free of charge: only the owner or usufructuary may do it
A commodatum is the free loan of a non-fungible good that must be returned. Article 1465 limits who may lend it.
September 10, 2026
Lent something free: you answer even for a fortuitous event
Article 1468 makes the borrower indemnify loss even by fortuitous event, unless it proves it would have happened in the lender’s hands too.
September 10, 2026
You lent something: six months from its return to claim the damage
Article 1471 gives the lender six months from the return to claim deterioration, and 1469 allows an early demand in two cases.
September 10, 2026
Settling a dispute: the agreement has the effects of res judicata
Article 1500 gives the settlement the effects of res judicata, and 1499 orders it interpreted restrictively.
September 10, 2026
Settling a dispute: in writing, and never over future support
Article 1503 voids a settlement not in writing or in a court ruling, and 1502 bars settling future support and non-waivable rights.
September 10, 2026
Contracts of chance: the risk is assumed, the rest can still be rescinded
Article 1507 subjects aleatory contracts to the general rules of efficacy and inefficacy, rescission included, except as to the assumption of risk.
September 10, 2026
Unlawful gaming debt: uncollectable, and if you paid you get half back
Article 1510 denies any action to collect unlawful gaming winnings, and 1511 returns 50% to the payer; the other 50% goes to the Treasury.
September 10, 2026
You took on someone else’s affair uninvited: you cannot just drop it
Article 1517 requires the manager to notify without delay and to continue until the interested party can take over, ratify or entrust it to another.
September 10, 2026
You managed another’s affair: expenses are repaid up to the benefit it gave
Article 1519 makes the interested party who benefits reimburse expenses and losses up to the benefit received, even without having ratified.
September 10, 2026
You paid what you did not owe: you need not prove you were mistaken
Article 1520 gives the right to demand restitution of what was paid without legal cause, and says expressly it does not depend on a mistake.
September 10, 2026
You received a payment not yours: good faith changes what you return
Article 1522 makes a bad-faith recipient pay interest or fruits; 1523 limits the good-faith one to the extent they were enriched.
September 10, 2026
Unjust enrichment: if a contract binds you, it does not apply
Article 1526 requires indemnifying in the measure of one’s own enrichment, and 1527 bars the action where another exists or a contract binds the parties.
September 10, 2026
Announced reward: it binds from the moment the public learns of it
Article 1529 binds whoever publicly promises a reward from the moment it reaches the public, and anyone who complies may demand it.
September 10, 2026
Withdrawing a reward: if you already complied, revocation misses you
Article 1533 requires revoking in the same form as announced, and leaves out whoever complied before the revocation was first published.
September 10, 2026
Negligence damage: family immunity applies, with two ways out
Article 1536 requires repairing damage caused by fault or negligence; 1537 bars it between certain relatives, save a crime or no family unity.
September 10, 2026
How damage is repaired: money, restoration, or both — your choice
Article 1538 leaves the form of reparation to the injured party’s choice, and allows an additional award where the act is a crime or wilful.
September 10, 2026
A product hurt you: you do not have to prove negligence
Article 1542 makes whoever sells an unreasonably dangerous product in the flow of commerce answer even without fault or negligence.
September 10, 2026
You were partly at fault: you do not lose the claim, it is reduced
Article 1545 says the injured party’s concurrent imprudence does not exempt from liability, but reduces the award in proportion to its degree.
September 10, 2026
Voiding a contract for your own mistake makes you pay the other side’s expenses
Article 286 of the Civil Code of 2020 makes only the author of deceit, violence and intimidation indemnify; in error, whoever invokes it pays.
September 12, 2026
A calculation error in a contract is corrected; it does not void the deal
Article 290 of the Civil Code of 2020 orders calculation errors rectified, and Articles 288 and 289 limit which errors do void.
September 12, 2026
Staying silent on purpose is deceit; and if both deceived, nobody indemnifies anybody
Article 292 of the Civil Code of 2020 counts an intentional omission as deceit, and Article 294 leaves reciprocal deceit without remedy.
September 12, 2026
Threatening someone you love voids the contract, and it counts even from a third party
Article 295 of the Civil Code of 2020 includes imminent harm to your loved ones, and Article 296 reaches a threatening third party.
September 12, 2026
Performing the contract after the cause ends costs you the right to void it
Article 350 of the Civil Code of 2020 turns full or partial performance into tacit confirmation, and 351 extinguishes the action with it.
September 12, 2026
If the document does not clearly say you sign for another, the deal is yours
Article 318 of the Civil Code of 2020 treats the representative as acting on their own account when the act does not clearly say otherwise.
September 12, 2026
Your agent may not sell themselves what is yours without your express consent
Article 322 of the Civil Code of 2020 makes voidable any act the representative makes with themselves without the principal’s express consent.
September 12, 2026
The silence of whoever was asked to ratify is understood as a refusal
Article 325 of the Civil Code of 2020 reads silence as a refusal to ratify, yet ratifies silently whoever takes the deal’s benefit.
September 12, 2026
If the bound party blocks the condition, the Code treats it as fulfilled
Article 307 of the Civil Code of 2020 deems fulfilled a suspensive condition the bound party blocked, and unfulfilled a resolutory one they provoked.
September 12, 2026
Falling into insolvency ends the term even with no court declaring it
Article 313 of the Civil Code of 2020 voids the term if the debtor falls into insolvency, even undeclared, unless they secure performance.
September 12, 2026
Not answering is not accepting, except in the three cases the Code lists
Article 267 of the Civil Code of 2020 says silence or inaction do not declare will, save by law, agreement, or prior dealings.
September 12, 2026
If the contract’s purpose is frustrated through nobody’s fault, you may resolve it
Article 276 of the Civil Code of 2020 lets the injured party resolve the act, or adjust performances, if the causa is frustrated through no party’s fault.
September 12, 2026
If you agreed on a form, doing it another way leaves the act with no validity
Article 277 of the Civil Code of 2020 strips validity from an act done in a form other than the one the parties agreed.
September 12, 2026
A private document with no certain date is useless against a third party
Article 283 of the Civil Code of 2020 says a private instrument without a certain date is not opposable to third parties, even if acknowledged at trial.
September 12, 2026
An ambiguous clause is read against its drafter and for the weaker party
Article 358 of the Civil Code of 2020 reads an ambiguous clause of a bilateral act against its drafter and for whoever had less bargaining power.
September 12, 2026
Handing your debt to someone else does not free you without the creditor’s consent
Article 359 of the Civil Code of 2020 says transmitting an obligation frees the transmitting debtor only when the creditor authorises it.
September 12, 2026
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