How Long Should an Offer Stay Open? The Irrevocable Period on Ontario’s Form 100
That one line on the APS quietly controls the entire pace of your negotiation
What does the ‘irrevocable period’ on an Ontario offer mean, and how long should it be?
The irrevocable period is a window, set by the party making the offer, during which that party cannot withdraw or change the offer and must wait for the other side to respond. According to the Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA) Form 100 standard Agreement of Purchase and Sale (2026), this clause sits on the first page; if the receiving party has not signed and delivered acceptance before the deadline, the offer becomes null and void. In practice it is usually set 24 to 72 hours out, and squeezed down to a few hours in competitive situations.
Source: Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA) Form 100 standard Agreement of Purchase and Sale (2026); Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO) consumer guidance
Almost every Ontario buyer and seller has seen the line on page one of the offer: “This offer shall be irrevocable by ___ until ___ on ___.” Most people treat it as a routine blank to fill in. It is actually one of the most underrated pieces of leverage in the whole transaction. It decides how much time the other side gets to think, how long you are locked in, and where your offer sits when several are competing. Set it too short and you can scare off a seller who would otherwise have signed; set it too long and you have effectively handed your price over for free so the other side can shop it around. This article breaks down what it is, who controls it, what short and long durations actually cost you, and how sellers receiving offers and buyers writing them should each handle it.
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Who the clause actually binds
Who picks the time — the offeror does
What happens when the clock runs out
⚠️Common misconception: that a seller’s verbal “yes” closes the deal. It does not. Acceptance must be signed and delivered before the irrevocable deadline. Miss it by minutes and the offer is legally null and void.
💡 Hold onto this dividing line: during the irrevocable period, the offeror is locked and the recipient is free. The instant the recipient signs and delivers back within the window, the contract is live and neither party can back out. That is the entire mechanism in one sentence.
The cost of too short (usually the buyer’s loss)
The cost of too long (mostly the buyer’s, sometimes the seller’s)
ℹ️A bully offer is not something you are obligated to accept. A seller can decline any pre-emptive offer and hold to the scheduled offer date — but weigh it: the certain buyer in front of you versus the possibility, not the guarantee, of more buyers showing up.
Multiple-offer and bully-offer situations
Practical guidance for sellers receiving offers
When an offer arrives, look at three things: price, conditions, and the irrevocable period. If the window is too tight for you to decide properly, don’t rush to sign and don’t rush to reject — counter it. In your counter, set a deadline you are comfortable with (lob the ball back, give the buyer 24 hours). That keeps the negotiation alive and pulls the tempo back to your side. When you hold multiple offers, make sure every window leaves you enough time to compare them fairly.
Practical guidance for buyers writing offers
A default of 24 to 48 hours is reasonable for most ordinary deals — it signals seriousness without locking you in too long. Cutting the window short is a high-pressure tactic with real costs; don’t make it your reflex. Reserve a few-hour deadline for when you genuinely believe the seller is motivated, or you are pre-empting with a bully offer that needs to move fast. And remember: you cannot move during that window, so finish your homework — inspection, mortgage pre-approval, lawyer — before you put the offer in, not after.
Ontario Home Buying Guide →The Ontario Selling Blueprint →GTA Market Data (Monthly) →
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is the irrevocable period on an Ontario offer usually set?
Most commonly 24 to 48 hours from submission, stretching to 72 hours for complex deals or out-of-town and overseas parties. In competitive or bully-offer situations it can be cut to a few hours or expire the same evening. The length is chosen by the offeror; there is no legally mandated minimum or maximum.
Can a buyer change their mind and withdraw the offer during the irrevocable period?
No. That is exactly what “irrevocable” means — during that window the offeror (usually the buyer) is legally locked in, cannot withdraw, and cannot change the price; they must wait for the seller to respond. Only once the seller clearly rejects or issues a counter-offer does the original offer lapse and the buyer regain freedom.
What happens if the seller doesn’t respond before the irrevocable period ends?
Under OREA Form 100, once the deadline passes with no signed acceptance, the offer automatically becomes null and void, the offeror is no longer bound, and any deposit submitted should be returned. To revive it, the seller would have to re-offer or counter — but the buyer is no longer obligated to honour the original terms.
The buyer gave me a window that’s too short. Can I change it?
You can’t edit the buyer’s offer directly, but you can decline it and counter instead. As the new offeror in your counter, you set an irrevocable period you’re comfortable with, pulling the tempo back to your side. That’s the cleanest way for a seller to deal with a too-short window.
Arthur Zhao
Real Estate Broker · FRI · ABR · SRS · PSA · MCNE · E-PRO · GUILD Elite
VP & Branch Manager, Bay Street Group Inc.
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