Short answer. The prescriptive period to demand an accounting starts on the day your agent ceased their functions — not when you first suspected something was wrong, and not when the agency relationship was formally revoked. Once the accounting is rendered and the parties agree on the result, a separate period runs from that date.
What the law says
The period for prescription of actions to demand accounting runs from the day the persons who should render the same cease in their functions. The period for the action arising from the result of the accounting runs from the date when said result was recognized by agreement of the interested parties.
Civil Code, Article 1153 — Actions on the Result of an Accounting. Read the full provision →
Two distinct prescriptive clocks under Article 1153
Article 1153 of the Civil Code sets up two separate prescriptive periods for accounting-related actions. The first governs the right to demand the accounting itself — the audit or report of how money, property, or affairs were handled. This clock starts ticking on the day the person who should render the accounting ceased in their functions. The second governs the right to enforce or challenge whatever the accounting reveals. That clock does not start until the result was recognized by agreement of the interested parties. If you never get to an accounting and agreement, the second period never starts.
What 'ceased in their functions' means
For an agent, the phrase ceased in their functions refers to the moment the agency actually ended — when the agent stopped acting on your behalf, whether through revocation, expiration, completion of the task, or the agent's resignation. The prescriptive period does not wait for you to discover that something went wrong, or for you to demand a final settlement. From the day the agent's authority over your affairs terminated, the clock begins. This is a firm rule and it underscores the importance of acting promptly once a management or agency relationship ends.
What happens after the accounting is rendered and agreed upon
Once the accounting is delivered and both parties recognize the result by agreement — they sign off on the numbers, formally accept the report, or otherwise jointly acknowledge what the balance shows — a second, independent prescriptive period begins. Any action to enforce what the agreed accounting shows (for example, to collect a balance due, or to recover excess amounts) must be filed within the applicable period running from that date of recognition. If the parties dispute the result and never reach agreement, this second clock never starts running and you would need to seek judicial determination of the proper accounting.
Why acting quickly matters
The practical danger in Article 1153 is that many principals do not realize the prescriptive period has started. They wait for the agent to voluntarily submit accounts, or they spend months trying to get a response, all while the clock runs. If you and your agent have parted ways and no accounting has been rendered, you should act now — file a formal demand in writing that starts a paper trail, and if the agent does not respond, consult a lawyer about filing before prescription extinguishes your right. The exact length of the prescriptive period depends on the nature of the agency and the applicable provisions of the Civil Code; Article 1153 fixes only the starting point, not the duration.