Text of the provision
Art. 1972. The depositary is obliged to keep the thing safely and to return it, when required, to the depositor, or to his heirs and successors, or to the person who may have been designated in the contract. His responsibility, with regard to the safekeeping and the loss of the thing, shall be governed by the provisions of Title I of this Book. If the deposit is gratuitous, this fact shall be taken into account in determining the degree of care that the depositary must observe.
(1766a)
Civil Code of the Philippines, Republic Act No. 386, approved June 18, 1949, effective August 30, 1950. Reproduced in full; verified verbatim against the LawPhil and ChanRobles official-text renderings.
What this article means
The depositary must safely keep and return the thing to the depositor (or designated person); his liability for safekeeping follows the general rules, and a gratuitous deposit lowers the required degree of care.
Related provisions
- Article 1971 — Deposit With an Incapacitated Depositary.
- Article 1973 — No Sub-Deposit Without Consent.
Cases citing this article
- Joseph Chan, et al. vs. Bonifacio S. Maceda, Jr, G.R. No. 142591, April 30, 2003 — read the decision on LawPhil →
Compiled automatically from Supreme Court decisions published on LawPhil that expressly cite this article, most frequently cited first. A listing means the decision cites the provision — it is not a statement that the case is the leading authority, and it does not show whether a ruling has since been modified or abandoned. Always read the decision itself.