Rescission of sale of immovable
A contract of sale, being a reciprocal obligation, can be rescinded under Article 1191 of the Civil Code:
ART. 1191. The power to rescind obligations is implied in reciprocal ones, in case one of the obligors should not comply with what is incumbent upon him.As to rescission of the sale of an immovable property such as a parcel of land, Article 1592 of the Civil Code further provides:
The injured party may choose between the fulfillment and the rescission of the obligation, with the payment of damages in either case.
He may also seek rescission, even after he has chosen fulfillment, if the latter should become impossible.
The court shall decree the rescission claimed, unless there be just cause authorizing the fixing of a period.
This is understood to be without prejudice to the rights of third persons who have acquired the thing, in accordance with articles 1385 and 1388 and the Mortgage Law.
ART. 1592. In the sale of immovable property, even though it may have been stipulated that upon failure to pay the price at the time agreed upon the rescission of the contract shall of right take place, the vendee may pay, even after the expiration of the period, as long as no demand for rescission of the contract has been made upon him either judicially or by a notarial act. After the demand, the court may not grant him a new term.
The right of rescission of a party to an obligation under Article 1191 of the Civil Code is predicated on a breach of faith by the other party who violates the reciprocity between them. (Velarde v. Court of Appeals, 413 Phil. 360, 373 [2001]).