Insight

[The notion of hidden defects and the guarantees of the Civil Code when selling contaminated land: methods of exercise and main pitfalls] TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH

[The notion of hidden defects and the guarantees of the Civil Code when selling contaminated land: methods of exercise and main pitfalls] TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH

September 6, 2019 09:49 AM

La notion de vices cachés et les garanties du Code civil lors de la vente de terrains contaminés : modalités d’exercice et principaux écueils

Christine Duchaine & Aline Coche

Cabinet Juridique Sodavex

2012

  1. INTRODUCTION

Nul doute que notre société a évolué drastiquement depuis l’adoption du Code civil du Bas-Canada en 1866. Nos législateurs de l’époque, qui ont défini les règles applicables à toute intervention sociétale, seraient fort probablement très surpris de constater l’état de la situation. Force est de constater que ces visionnaires ont néan- moins réussi à établir des normes et des principes qui, pour la plu- part, ont bien traversé le temps et qui revêtent encore aujourd’hui toute leur pertinence. D’autres sont devenus désuets et ont été com- plètement oubliés par la population.

Il y a toutefois certains principes qui comportent des difficultés d’adaptation à des problématiques qui étaient totalement inconnues il y a près de 150 ans. L’application du régime de garantie légale unique au droit civil en matière de terrains contaminés est un de ces exemples. Tout juriste impliqué dans un tel cas constate rapidement que l’arrimage entre les principes de garantie de qualité et de pro- priété du droit civil, et la réalité particulière de la contamination d’un terrain, n’est pas des plus harmonieux.

L’évolution des consciences collectives en matière d’environne- ment a modifié la définition même de la qualité d’un terrain. La notion de contaminant n’existait tout simplement pas en 1866. De plus, ce qui était acceptable auparavant est parfois devenu honni ; ce qui se transigeait aisément hier, peut aujourd’hui être dénué d’intérêt et d’utilité pour un propriétaire ou un éventuel acquéreur.

Les tares environnementales héritées des activités commercia- les et industrielles sont devenues un véritable problème dans toutes les transactions impliquant un bien foncier. La contamination d’un terrain peut non seulement être source de responsabilité civile et sta- tutaire, mais peut aussi représenter une réelle perte financière pour le propriétaire et brimer son droit de propriété en limitant l’usage du terrain et en contrecarrant ses projets de développements.

L’arrimage parfois complexe du droit de l’environnement, de la vente et de la propriété nous amène à nous interroger sur le rôle des normes réglementaires et leur impact dans les rapports civils con- tractuels1. Le caractère évolutif de ces notions pose également la question de la temporalité de l’analyse qui doit être effectuée.

Le présent article propose une analyse des éléments intrinsè- ques du régime de garantie du droit civil dans l’optique particulière de la découverte de la contamination par un acquéreur, et recherche des pistes de solutions aux difficultés soulevées par l’application de la garantie légale et conventionnelle aux vices résultant d’une telle contamination. Nous espérons que notre exercice vous sera utile.

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