How to Count Condition Deadlines on an Ontario Offer

Many condition problems aren't legal puzzles. They're counting mistakes made at 11 p.m. Here's the routine I use on every file to turn condition wording into dates nobody can misread.

Step 1: Copy the wording exactly

Don't summarize a condition as "financing, 5 days". Copy the exact words from the signed agreement. These three are not the same:

• "until 5 p.m. on the 14th day of March"
• "within five business days after acceptance"
• "within five days after acceptance"

The first is a fixed date and time. The other two have to be counted, and they count differently.

Step 2: Find the start point

For conditions that run from acceptance, take the date and time of acceptance from the signed agreement itself, not from an email or a text about it. Then check how the wording treats the day of acceptance before you start counting.

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Step 3: Check what "business day" means here

Read how the agreement defines a business day and what happens when a date lands on a weekend or holiday. Public holidays like Family Day or Good Friday can push a business-day count out. Plain "days" usually run straight through weekends, so the two can land days apart.

A quick example: acceptance on a Friday, no holiday that week, and the acceptance day not counted. Five business days (Monday to Friday) ends the following Friday. Five plain days (Saturday to Wednesday) ends on Wednesday. Your agreement's wording, not this example, decides.

Step 4: Write one date and time per condition

For each condition, record:

• The exact wording
• The calendar date and time it expires
• Who needs to act, and what proof you'll need, like an inspection report or a lender approval

Send that list to the agent so everyone works from the same dates.

Step 5: Set reminders before, not on, the day

A reminder on the deadline day is too late to fix anything. Set one a couple of days before and another the day before, so there's time to get a waiver or notice drafted and signed.

When in doubt, ask

If the wording is unusual or two documents disagree, stop and ask the agent, or the lawyer through the agent, before you count. A guessed deadline is worse than no deadline.