Condition Precedent
Definition
In the contracts context, an event that must occur before a party's promised performance is due. The party may avoid performance if the condition has not occurred and the nonoccurrence is not excused. In the conveyances context, an event specified in a conveyance that must occur before title or other rights to the property actually transfer and vest in the recipient. Until the event occurs, the conveyance remains contingent. A common example of a condition precedent in the conveyance context is a provision in a will that says someone will inherit only if that person reaches a certain age.