Short answer. While a suspensive condition remains unfulfilled, the property is placed under administration, and an administrator, not the conditional heir, manages it. Article 880 directs that the estate shall be placed under administration until the condition is fulfilled, or until it becomes certain that it cannot be fulfilled, or until the arrival of the term.
What the law says
the estate shall be placed under administration until the condition is fulfilled, or until it becomes certain that it cannot be fulfilled, or until the arrival of the term
Civil Code, Article 880 — Administration Pending a Condition. Read the full provision →
An administrator holds the property, not the conditional heir
The property does not go straight to the person named in the will when that person's inheritance depends on a condition that has not yet happened. Article 880 directs that the estate shall be placed under administration during this waiting period. An administrator, a neutral person tasked with preserving the estate, takes charge of the assets, collects income, pays legitimate expenses, and keeps the property intact. The conditional heir does not yet own anything he can freely use or dispose of, because his right has not vested. He becomes entitled to receive the property only once the condition is fulfilled and his claim ripens into a real, enforceable interest.
Why the law imposes administration
The reason is protection. A suspensive condition means the gift takes effect only if a future, uncertain event happens; until then, no one knows for sure whether the named heir will ever inherit. Handing the property to him immediately would be risky: if the condition ultimately fails, he would have controlled, and perhaps spent or damaged, assets that were never his. Placing the estate under administration keeps it safe for whoever turns out to be entitled, whether that is the conditional heir or, if the condition fails, the other heirs. The administrator answers for the property in the meantime and must account for it.
How long the administration lasts
The administration is temporary, and its endpoint is fixed by the article itself. It continues until the condition is fulfilled, or until it becomes certain that it cannot be fulfilled, or until the arrival of the term. When the condition is met, the heir receives the property and the administration ends. If it becomes certain the condition can never happen, the heir loses the inheritance and the property passes to those next in line. Where the will fixes a term rather than a condition, administration lasts until that term arrives. Each of these outcomes closes the waiting period and settles who finally takes the property.
The same rule when required security is not given
Article 880 adds a second trigger: the estate is likewise placed under administration if the heir does not give the security required in the preceding article. In some situations an heir may be allowed to take the property early if he posts a guarantee to protect the interests of others. If he fails to furnish that security, the law falls back on administration as the safe default. This is general information on how the Civil Code handles a pending condition, not advice on a specific estate; the precise steps and who may be appointed depend on the will's terms and the settlement proceedings.