Section Third: Preservation and Return of the Leased Property

Article 575

Art. 575 - The lessee is required, under penalty of incurring civil liability, to notify the owner without delay of all facts that require their intervention, whether it concerns urgent repairs, the discovery of unforeseen defects, usurpations, or claims relating to ownership or a real right, or damages committed by third parties.

Article 576

Art. 576 - The lessee must return the property at the expiration of the fixed term. If he retains it beyond that, despite a notice or an equivalent act evidencing the contrary intention of the lessor, he shall be compelled to indemnify the latter. This indemnity shall be calculated according to the rental value while taking into account, moreover, the damage caused to the lessor.

Article 577

Art. 577 - If an inventory or a description of the thing has been made between the lessor and the lessee, the latter must return the thing in the same condition as it was received.

Article 578

Art. 578 - If no inventory or description of the thing has been made, the lessee is presumed to have received the thing in good condition and must return it in the same condition.

Article 579

Art. 579 - The lessee is responsible for the loss and deterioration of the thing caused by his act. \tThe lessee of a hotel or other establishment open to the public is also responsible for the acts of travelers and clients whom he receives in his establishment.

Article 580

Art. 580 - The lessee shall not be liable for the loss and deterioration resulting from: 1 - the normal and ordinary use of the thing, subject to what has been stated regarding leasehold repairs; 2 - a case of force majeure not attributable to his fault; 3 - the state of obsolescence, the construction defect, or the defect in the repairs that are the responsibility of the lessor.

Article 581

Art. 581 - The return of the leased property must be made at the place of the contract; the costs of return are borne by the lessee, unless there is a stipulation or custom to the contrary.

Article 582

Art. 582 - The lessee has the right to retain the leased thing on account of claims that would belong to him against the lessor with respect to the thing.

Article 583

Art. 583 - If the lessee has made constructions, plantations, or other improvements that have increased the value of the leased property, the lessor shall reimburse him, upon expiration of the lease, either the amount of the expenditure or that of the increase in value, provided that these improvements were made with his knowledge and without objection on his part. In the absence of these conditions, the lessor has the right to request, by proving that they are of no use to him, that the lessee remove the improvements and compensate him, if necessary, for the damage resulting from this removal to the property. If he prefers to retain the improvements, by paying one of the aforementioned sums, the judge may grant him a deadline for settlement.