How to Count Contingency Days For Real Estate Contracts?

Hello this is Deirdre Brown your settlement agent serving the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia. Today I’m going to talk to you about how do you count contingency days. 

I get this question a lot. So you have written into the contract five days for home inspection contingency. How many days is that? Is that calendar days or business days? When do you start to count? 

This is how it works.  If you wrote in five days and let’s say today is the ratification date then tomorrow will be day 1 , 2, 3, 4, 5 , and on the fifth day if you are using the GCAAR Sales Contract you have until to 6 p.m. EST on that day to give  the home inspection notice. If you are using the MAR sales contract you have until 11:59 p.m. EST on the fifth day to give the home inspection notice.  So the contingency count always starts the day after ratification. 

Days are calendars unless specified as business days. 

If you have additional questions you can reach out to us at lexicontitle.com