Legal guarantee period for goods, by country
The statutory guarantee on consumer goods is not one number in Europe. Spain and Sweden make the seller answer for defects that show up within three years, while Germany, Austria, France and Norway stop at two (Norway goes to five for goods meant to last much longer, Germany to five for buildings). The presumption that a defect was already there at delivery is shorter than the liability period in Germany and Austria (one year against two) and in Spain and Sweden (two years against three), but as long as it in France and Norway. The Netherlands and Australia set no number of years in the quoted text: the Dutch rule works through a notice to the seller and Australia through a "rejection period" that depends on the goods.
| Country | Seller liable for defects that appear within | Defect presumed present at delivery for | Telling the seller |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | 2 years from delivery | 1 year | |
| Australia | No fixed number of years: the period in which a failure would reasonably show | ||
| Germany | 2 years from delivery (claims become time-barred) | 1 year | |
| Spain | 3 years from delivery | 2 years from delivery | |
| France | 2 years from delivery | 24 months | |
| Netherlands | Within a reasonable time; telling the seller within 2 months of discovery is always in time | ||
| Norway | 2 years from delivery (5 years for goods meant to last much longer) | 2 years | Within a reasonable time, never shorter than 2 months from discovery |
| Sweden | 3 years from delivery | 2 years | Within a reasonable time; a complaint within 2 months of noticing the defect is always in time |
Country by country
Austria
- Rule
- Verbrauchergewährleistungsgesetz §§ 10 and 11
- Covers goods sold by a business to a consumer. For goods with digital elements supplied continuously, the period lasts for the supply.
- For second-hand goods the period can be shortened by contract to one year if it was individually negotiated.
Der Unternehmer leistet Gewähr für jeden Mangel, der bei Übergabe der Ware vorliegt und innerhalb von zwei Jahren nach diesem Zeitpunkt hervorkommt. Bei einem Mangel, der innerhalb eines Jahres nach Übergabe der Ware hervorkommt, wird vermutet, dass er bereits bei Übergabe vorgelegen ist. Australia
- Rule
- Australian Consumer Law (Schedule 2) s 262
- The "rejection period" decides how long a consumer can reject goods for failing a consumer guarantee. It depends on the type of goods, their likely use and how long they can reasonably be used.
- The ingested text gives no presumption period and no notice deadline, so those columns are blank.
The rejection period for goods is the period from the time of the supply of the goods to the consumer within which it would be reasonable to expect the relevant failure to comply with a guaranteethe type of goods Germany
- Rule
- BGB §§ 438 and 477
- § 438 sets the limitation period for defect claims in sales generally: 30 years for third-party rights in the goods, 5 years for buildings and building materials, otherwise 2 years.
- For consumer sales of live animals the presumption lasts six months. The period is longer if the seller fraudulently concealed the defect.
3. im Übrigen in zwei Jahren.Die Verjährung beginnt bei Grundstücken mit der Übergabe, im Übrigen mit der Ablieferung der Sache. Zeigt sich innerhalb eines Jahres seit Gefahrübergang ein von den Anforderungen nach § 434 oder § 475b abweichender Zustand der Ware, so wird vermutet, dass die Ware bereits bei Gefahrübergang mangelhaft war Spain
- Rule
- LGDCU arts. 120 and 121
- The three years apply to goods; digital content supplied once is covered for two years.
- For second-hand goods the parties may agree a shorter period, but not below one year from delivery.
se manifiesten en un plazo de tres años desde la entrega en el caso de bienes se presumirá que las faltas de conformidad que se manifiesten en los dos años siguientes a la entrega del bien France
- Rule
- Code de la consommation arts. L217-3 and L217-7
- For second-hand goods the presumption period is 12 months.
- The article says the guarantee period applies without prejudice to the ordinary limitation rules of the Civil Code, with limitation running from when the consumer learns of the defect.
Il répond des défauts de conformité existant au moment de la délivrance du bien au sens de l'article L. 216-1 , qui apparaissent dans un délai de deux ans à compter de celle-ci. Les défauts de conformité qui apparaissent dans un délai de vingt-quatre mois à compter de la délivrance du bien Netherlands
- Rule
- BW 7 art. 23
- This is the rule for consumer sales. Claims based on the defect lapse two years after the buyer gave notice.
- The ingested Book 7 text sets no number of years for the seller's liability, so that column is blank.
Bij een consumentenkoop moet de kennisgeving binnen bekwame tijd na de ontdekking geschieden, waarbij een kennisgeving binnen een termijn van twee maanden na de ontdekking tijdig is.verjaren door verloop van twee jaren na de overeenkomstig het eerste lid gedane kennisgeving Norway
- Rule
- Forbrukerkjøpsloven §§ 18 and 27
- The complaint deadline does not apply where the seller has given a guarantee or agreed to liability for longer.
- A consumer who does not complain in time loses the right to rely on the defect, unless the seller acted grossly negligently or against good faith.
Reklamasjon må senest skje to år etter at tingen ble levert. Dersom tingen eller deler av den ved vanlig bruk er ment å vare vesentlig lenger, er fristen for å reklamere fem år.Denne fristen for å reklamere kan aldri være kortere enn to måneder fra det tidspunkt da forbrukeren oppdaget mangelen. Hvis ikke noe annet bevises, skal en mangel som viser seg innen to år etter leveringen av tingen, formodes å ha eksistert ved leveringen. Sweden
- Rule
- Konsumentköplag 4 kap. 14 and 17 §§, 5 kap. 2 §
- A claim lapses unless it is made within two months after the three years end, or the longer time the parties agreed.
- For goods with digital parts supplied continuously, liability runs three years or the longer contract term.
Näringsidkaren svarar för fel på varan som har funnits vid avlämnandet och som visar sig inom tre år från denna tidpunkt. Ett fel som visar sig inom två år efter det att varan avlämnades En reklamation som görs inom två månader efter det att konsumenten märkt felet ska alltid anses ha gjorts i rätt tid. Countries not in this table yet
Japan is not shown: the guarantee rules sit in the Civil Code provisions on sale, which are not among the ingested Japanese acts. The UK, Canada and the United States are not covered by the ingested statutes for this question.
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