Bailment Defined
A “bailment”is the delivery of goods by one person to another for
some purpose, upon a contract that they shall, when the purpose is
accomplished, be returned or otherwise disposed of according to
the directions of the person delivering them.
The Person delivering the goods is called Bailor
The person to whom goods are delivered for use is called a Bailee
3.
How
Delivery to
be made
toBailee?
• The delivery to the bailee may be made by doing
any thing which has the effect of putting the goods
in the possession of the intended bailee or of any
person authorized to hold them on his behalf.
• The bailor is bound to disclose to the bailee faults
in the goods bailed, of which the bailor is aware,
and which materially interfere with the use of
them, or expose the bailee to extraordinary risks;
and if he does not make such disclosure, he is
responsible for damage arising to the bailee
directly from such faults.
• If the goods are bailed for hire, the bailor is
responsible for such damage, whether he was or
was not aware of the existence of such faults in the
goods bailed.
4.
Illustrations
• (a) Alends a horse, which he
knows to be vicious, to B. He does
not disclose the fact that the horse
is vicious. The horse runs away. B
is thrown and injured. A is
responsible to B for damage
sustained.
• (b) A hires a carriage of B. The
carriage is unsafe, though B is not
aware of it, and A is injured. B is
responsible to A for the injury.
5.
Care to be
takenby
Bailee
• In all cases of bailment, the bailee is bound
to take as much care of the goods bailed to
him as a man of ordinary prudence would,
under similar circumstances, take of his own
goods of the same bulk, quality and value as
the goods bailed
• The bailee in the absence of any special
contract, is not responsible for the loss,
destruction or deterioration of the thing
bailed, if he has taken the amount of care
(when the bailee is not liable for loss)
• A contract of bailment is voidable at the
option of the bailor, if the bailee does any
act with regard to the goods bailed,
inconsistent with the conditions of the
bailment.
6.
Illustration
•A lets toB, for hire, a
horse for his own riding.
B drives the horse in his
carriage. This is, at the
option of A, a
termination of the
bailment.
7.
Liability of
Bailee making
unauthorized
useof goods
bailed
• If the bailee makes any use of the goods bailed, which
is not according to the conditions of the bailment, he is
liable to make compensation to the bailor for any
damage arising to the goods from or during such use
of them.
• Illustration
• (a) A lends a horse to B for his own riding only. B
allows C, a member of his family, to ride the horse. C
rides with care, but the horse accidentally falls and is
injured. B is liable to make compensation to A for the
injury done to the horse.
• (b) A hires a horse in Karachi from B expressly to
march to Hyderabad. A rides with due care, but
marches to Khairpur instead. The horse accidentally
falls and is injured. A is liable to make compensation
to B for the injury to the horse.
8.
Effect of
Mixture of
Bailor’sgoods
with Bailee
• With Bailor’s Consent: If the bailee,
with the consent of the bailor, mixes the
goods of the bailor with his own goods,
the bailor and the bailee shall have an
interest, in proportion to their respective
shares, in the mixture thus produced.
• Without Bailor’s Consent when goods
can be Separated: If the bailee, without
the consent of the bailor, mixes the goods
of the bailor with his own goods, and the
goods can be separated or divided, the
property in the goods remains in the par
ties respectively; but the bailee is bound
to bear the expense of separation or
division, and any damage arising from the
mixture.
9.
Illustration
•A bails 100bales of cotton
marked with a particular mark to
B, without A’s consent mixes
100 bales with other bales of his
own, bearing a different mark.
•A is entitled to have his 100
bales returned, and B is bound
to bear all the expense incurred
in the separation of the bailes,
and any other incidental
damage.
10.
Effect of Mixtureof
Bailor’s goods with
Bailee without
Bailor’s Consent
When goods cannot
be Separated
• If the bailee without the consent of the
bailor, mixes the goods of the bailor
with his own goods, in such a manner
that it is impossible to separate the
goods bailed from the other goods and
deliver them back, the bailor is
entitled to be compensated by the
bailee for the loss of the goods.
• A bails a barrel of Cape flour worth
Rs. 45 to B. B, without A’s consent
mixes the flour with country flour of
his own, worth only Rs. 25 a barrel. B
must compensate A for the loss of his
flour.
11.
Repayment by
bailor of
necessary
expenses
•Where, by the conditions of the
bailment, the goods are to be
kept or to be carried, or to have
work done upon them by the
bailee for the bailor, and the
bailee is to receive no
remuneration, the bailor shall
repay to the bailee the
necessary expenses incurred by
him for the purpose of the
bailment.
12.
Restoration
of goods lent
gratuitously
•The lender of a thing for use may at any
time can require its return, if the loan was
gratuitous, even though he lent it for a
specified time or purpose.
• But, if, on the faith of such loan made for
a specified time or purpose, the borrower
has acted in such a manner that the return
of the thing lent before the time agreed
upon would cause him loss exceeding the
benefit actually derived by him from the
loan, the lender must, if he compels the
return, indemnify the borrower for the
amount in which the loss so occasioned
exceeds the benefit so derived.
13.
Return of goods
bailedon
expiration of time
or accomplishment
of purpose
•It is the duty of the bailee
to return, or deliver
according to the bailor’s
directions, the goods
bailed, without demand, as
soon as the time for which
they were bailed has
expired, or the purpose for
which they were bailed has
been accomplished.
14.
Bailee’s
responsibility
when goods are
notduly returned
•If, by the default of the
bailee, the goods are not
returned, delivered or
tendered at the proper time,
he is responsible to the bailor
for any loss, destruction or
deterioration of the goods
from that time.
Bailor entitled
to increaseor
profit from
goods bailed
• In the absence of any contract to
the contrary, the bailee is bound
to deliver to the bailor, or
according to his directions, any
increase or profit which may
have accrued from the goods
bailed.
• A leaves cow in the custody
of B to be taken care of. The
cow has a calf B is bound to
deliver the calf as well as the
cow to A.
17.
Bailor’s
responsibility
to bailee.
•The bailoris responsible to
the bailee for any loss
which the bailee may
sustain by reason that the
bailor was not entitled to
make the bailment, or to
receive back the goods or
to give directions,
respecting them
18.
Bailment by severaljoint owners:
If several joint owners of goods bail
them, the bailee may deliver them
back to, or according to the
directions of, one joint owner
without the consent of all, in the
absence of any agreement to the
contrary
•Bailee not responsible on
redelivery to bailor without
title. If the bailor has no title
to the goods, and the bailee,
in good faith, delivers them
back to, or according to the
directions of, the bailor, the
bailee is not responsible to
the owner in respect of such
delivery
19.
Right of third
person
claiminggoods
bailed
•If a person, other than the
bailor, claims goods
bailed, he may apply to
the Court to stop the
delivery of the goods to
the bailor, and to decide
the title to the goods.
20.
Right of
finder of
goods
•The finder of goods has no right to
sue the owner for compensation for
trouble and expense voluntarily
incurred by him to preserve the goods
and to find out the owner; but he may
retain the goods against the owner
until he receives such compensation
• Where the owner has offered a
specific reward for the return of
goods lost, the finder may sue for
such reward, and may retain the
goods until he receives it.
21.
When finder
of thing
commonlyon
sale may sell it
• When a thing which is commonly the
subject of sale is lost, if the owner
cannot with reasonable diligence be
found, or if he refuses, upon demand,
to pay the lawful charges of the finder,
the finder may sell it—
(1) when the thing is in danger of
perishing or of losing the greater part of
its value, or,
(2) when the lawful charges of the
finder, in respect of the thing
found, amount to two thirds of its value.
22.
Bailee’s
particular
lien.
• Where thebailee has, in accordance with the
purpose of the bailment, rendered any service
involving the exercise of labor or skill in respect
of the goods bailed, he has, in the absence of a
contract to the contrary, a right to retain such
goods until he receives due remuneration for the
services, he has rendered in respect of them.
• (a) A delivers a rough diamond to B, a jeweler,
to be cut and polished, which is accordingly
done. B is entitled to retain the stone till he is
paid for the services he has rendered.
• (b) A give cloth to B, a tailor, to make into a
coat. B promises A to deliver the coat soon as it
is finished, and to give a three months’ credit for
the price. B is not entitled to retain the coat until
he is paid.