Expert: Dick Dennis - 8/8/2011

Question
when the contract says   on or about   aug 15 how much time do they have to close.are there a certain number of days the law says we must give them

Answer
It really depends on how important the document is, Jerry. The key phrase here is "on or about" rather than "on or before." It would seem to me that the document on which this phrase is written is not that much of an important document. It would mean, in my eyes and years of experience, that the parties might be expecting to resurrect the negotiations of time expiration.

The question is " . . .  or about." If it is a short amount of time (like next week or possiblly next month), then it would seem "or about" has very little value. The date is very important. On the other hand if we're talking about many months or years, then you can see that "or about" might mean that the parties might be renegotiating the time negotiation or even the entire document.  "Or before" obviously is stronger. That's the way I see it. I do wish you well.

Dick Dennis
dixiedee13@aol.com