Title III: Sources of obligations

A person who, without being obliged to do so, knowingly and usefully manages the business of another, without the knowledge or opposition of the master of that business, is subject, in the performance of the legal and material acts of his management, to all the obligations of an agent.

He is bound to exercise all the care of a reasonable person in the management of the business; he must continue the management until the master of the business or his successor is able to provide for it. The judge may, depending on the circumstances, moderate the compensation due to the master of the business because of the faults or negligence of the manager.

A person whose business has been usefully managed must fulfil the commitments entered into in his interest by the manager. He reimburses the manager for expenses incurred in his interest and compensates him for any damage he has suffered as a result of his management. Sums advanced by the manager bear interest from the day of payment.

The ratification of the management by the master is equivalent to a mandate.

The personal interest of the manager in taking on the business of others does not exclude the application of the rules of business management. In this case, the burden of commitments, expenses and damages is shared in proportion to the interests of each in the common business.

If the manager’s action does not meet the conditions of business management but nevertheless benefits the master of that business, the master must indemnify the manager according to the rules of unjust enrichment.