Residential Tenancies Act

The Alberta Law Reform Institute is undertaking a review of Alberta’s Residential Tenancies Act. The Residential Tenancies Act establishes the rights, rules, and obligations that govern the relationship between a landlord and tenant.

There are over 465,000 tenant occupied households in Alberta and a recent survey on common Canadian legal problems showed that 9% of respondents had issues with their home, mortgage or rent. Individuals in Alberta are routinely finding themselves dealing with these issues and it is becoming clear that the law is in need of reform.

October 2024 Project Update

ALRI held 5 consultation events in 2023-2024 and heard from over 100 people that represented individual tenants, landlords, organizations and service providers. ALRI has spent the last year analyzing the results, identifying issues and setting priorities for reform. ALRI will publish a report on its research in the coming months to share what we found. ALRI will then begin developing policy options for reform. That phase of the project may occur in separate steps over the course of a couple years.

Upcoming Report

One of ALRI’s first priorities is addressing notices and whether landlords or tenants should be able to use electronic communication to give each other formal notices required under the act.

Further Reform of the Residential Tenancies Act

ALRI has identified other issues with the Residential Tenancies Act including those involving leases, evictions, dispute resolution, and deposits among others. These will require further consultation before it can propose recommendations for improving the law. Opportunities to participate in consultations will be communicated in the near future as they arise.