How to Count Deadlines in a Florida Real Estate Contract

Published October 9, 2026 · Recalde & Friedman, PLLC

Why counting matters

Under the Florida Realtors/Florida Bar AS IS contract, time is of the essence (Standard F, Time). A termination notice that arrives one day late can mean losing the right to cancel and possibly the deposit. Most deposit disputes we see turn on a date.

Step 1: find the Effective Date

Most deadlines are counted from the Effective Date. Under Paragraph 3(b), that's the date the last of the buyer and seller signed or initialed and delivered the offer or final counter-offer. It isn't necessarily the date printed at the top of the contract, and it isn't the date the agents first agreed on price. If the contract went back and forth with initialed changes, the last initialed change that was delivered usually sets the Effective Date. Write it down and have both agents confirm it in writing.

Step 2: count calendar days

Standard F says calendar days are used to compute time periods, based on where the property is located. "Within 15 days after Effective Date" means you start counting the day after the Effective Date. Day 1 is the next calendar day, including weekends.

Example: Effective Date is a Tuesday. A 15-day inspection period runs through the Wednesday two weeks later.

Step 3: check for weekends and holidays

If a time period or a specific date in the contract ends or falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or national legal public holiday (as defined in 5 U.S.C. § 6103(a)), or a day on which one is observed, it extends to the next calendar day that isn't one of those days (Standard F). That applies to preprinted, handwritten and typed dates, including the closing date.

Two exceptions: the time for acceptance of the offer and the Effective Date under Paragraph 3 don't roll forward.

Note also that the holiday rule refers to national legal public holidays. A local or state-only holiday doesn't extend a deadline under this standard.

Common FR/BAR default periods

If the blanks are left empty, the AS IS contract uses these periods:

• Initial deposit: within 3 days after the Effective Date (2(a)).
• Additional deposit: within 10 days after the Effective Date (2(b)).
• Counter-offer acceptance: within 2 days after delivery, unless stated otherwise (3(a)).
• Financing application: within 5 days; Loan Approval Period: 30 days (8(b)).
• Title evidence: 15 days before the closing date, or 5 days if cash (9(c)).
• Inspection period: 15 days (12(a)).
• Flood-zone termination: 20 days (10(d)).
• Title objection: 5 days after receiving the commitment; cure period: 30 days (Standard A).
• Survey objection: 5 days after receiving the survey, and no later than closing (Standard B).

Condo deadlines use business days

Florida condominium law uses different counting for some rights. A resale condo buyer's review period is counted in days excluding Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays (§ 718.503, Fla. Stat.(2)). The current Condominium Rider uses that same counting for its document review periods. Association estoppel certificates are due within 10 business days after a request (§ 718.116, Fla. Stat.(8)). Don't apply the FR/BAR calendar-day rule to these statutory periods.

Delivery: when did notice happen?

A deadline is met by delivering written notice before it expires. Under Standard O, notices must be in writing and may be made by mail, fax, personal delivery or email, and notice to a party's broker or attorney counts. Email is usually fastest and leaves a time-stamped record.

Hypothetical

A contract's 15-day inspection period would end on a Saturday. Under Standard F, it extends to Monday, unless Monday is a national legal holiday, in which case it extends to Tuesday. A buyer who sends termination on Monday is on time. A seller who treats the period as ending on Saturday and re-lists Sunday may have a problem.

Tips

• Build a deadline chart on day 1 and share it with the other agent and the closing agent.
• When you amend a date, write the new calendar date. See amendment traps.
• When in doubt, act a day early.

Deadlines counted backward from closing

Some FR/BAR deadlines run backward from the closing date, not forward from the Effective Date. The title evidence deadline (15 days before closing by default, 5 days for cash) and the buyer's survey (at least 5 days before closing) are examples. If the closing date moves, those deadlines move with it, which is another reason to write out every affected date in an amendment.

Frequently asked questions