Article 893

What it means when you sign

This article deals with a cause that prevents a contract from being performed, or from being completed. If such a cause arises, either of the contracting parties may require that the contract be cancelled or terminated, as the case may be. The article does not list what counts as such a cause, and it does not say who bears any cost; it only gives either party the right to ask for cancellation or termination.

When you are about to sign a contract of this kind, this article means that if something arises that blocks the work from being carried out or finished, either party can ask for the contract to be cancelled or ended. A clause on termination, suspension, events outside a party's control or inability to perform may be read against this article. The points to look at are how the contract describes the situations in which it can be ended, whether it sets notice requirements, and what it says about payment for work already done. The article gives the right to either party, so a clause that gives it to one side only is worth reading closely.