Time of the essence

Usually referring to legal Notices, this wording will mean that specific dates need to be complied with.

For example, a break clause in a lease may stipulate a date by which notice needs to be served, “time being of the essence”. If the Notice is not served by that date, it is likely to be invalid. Just because the wording is not used does not however mean that time is not of the essence and the entire wording of a clause should be reviewed as a whole.