Residential Tenancies Act: Ending a Tenancy, Issues Paper 8

Alberta has a higher than average turnover rate in the rental market than most of Canada. It is unclear why Alberta has a higher turnover rate, but we have heard that the options available to tenants and landlords to end a tenancy are ineffective or too severe. There are more than a dozen reasons a landlord or tenant may end a tenancy under the Residential Tenancies Act. The rules and conditions for ending a tenancy […]

AREA OF LAW	Property Landlord and Tenant Personal Property Real Property
TAGS	periodic lease, Residential lease agreement, security deposit refund, tenancy rights, security deposit, condition report, landlord-tenant law, eviction notice, habitability standards, rent control, property management, notice to vacate, fixed-term tenancy, rent increase notice, rental application, tenant screening, lease renewal, rental arbitration, housing tribunal, wear and tear, emergency repairs, rental arrears, utility responsibility, co-tenant, lease termination, fair housing act, pet policy, rent receipt, lease addendum, rental inspection, maintenance request, occupancy limits, subletting, guarantor, quiet enjoyment, right of entry
FORMAT	Publications
FILE	IPNo.8.pdf

May 6, 2026

Reviewing Alberta’s Residential Tenancies Act: Before and During a Tenancy

The Residential Tenancies Act governs the relationship between landlord and tenant. More specifically, it governs the relationships between people renting a place as a home. The Residential Tenancies Act does not govern the relationships created when renting a commercial place, and it does not govern the relationships of people renting mobile home sites. The Residential Tenancies Act affects hundreds of thousands of people living in Alberta, more than one quarter of all households in the […]

AREA OF LAW	Landlord and Tenant Property Real Property
TAGS	Alberta Residential Tenancies Act, RTA Handbook Alberta, Residential Tenancy Dispute Resolution Service, RTDRS, security deposit interest rate Alberta, move-in inspection report requirements, 14-day eviction notice Alberta, 24-hour notice of entry, substantial breach of tenancy agreement, periodic vs fixed-term tenancy, rent increase notice period Alberta, normal wear and tear vs damage, habitable premises standards, Alberta Public Health Act housing regulation, unauthorized occupants Alberta law, landlord's right to distraint, abatement of rent Alberta, overholding tenant remedies, service of documents Alberta RTA, abandoned goods regulation Alberta, security deposit deductions Alberta, peaceful enjoyment Alberta tenancy, notice of landlord requirements, and Alberta Law Reform Institute residential tenancy papers.
FORMAT	Publications
FILE	IP7-Visual-Summary.pdf

March 16, 2026

Hearing From Children In Court Proceedings Under The Divorce Act, Family Law Act, And Child, Youth And Family Enhancement Act

The Alberta Law Reform Institute [ALRI] intends this report to help users of the family court system. ALRI’s goal is to help users understand the ways in which the views of children affected by family court proceedings can be heard in Alberta. This report does not have recommendations for change. Instead, it is meant to be a helpful resource for legal professionals and users of the family court system. This report describes the ways in […]

AREA OF LAW	Children Family Law Marriage & Divorce
TAGS	final order, case conference, settlement conference, duty counsel, self-represented litigant, variation of order, contempt of court, collaborative law, child protection, foster care, supervision order, apprehension, neglect, family violence, children’s aid, child custody, social worker, home assessment, parenting time, voice of the child report, lawyer for the child, decision-making responsibility, supervised access, therapeutic access, best interests of the child, parental rights, biological parents, primary residence, step-parents, grandparents' rights, shared parenting, contact order, relocation, parallel parenting, mobility rights, foster-to-adopt, parenting plan, emancipation, child's views, residential schedule, UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, child support, extraordinary expenses, child support guidelines, arrears, income imputation, retroactive support, family court, motion, interim order, abuse, affidavit, restraining order, enforcement, jurisdiction, mediation, trial, parentage, access, adoption, arbitration, guardianship, legal aid, paternity
FORMAT	Publications
FILE	RPNo22.pdf

March 2, 2026

Residential Tenancies: Distress for Rent, Final Report 122

This is one out of a series of reports related to residential tenancy issues in Alberta. This report addresses issues eight and nine identified in ALRI’s Residential Tenancies Act: General Issues paper. Distress for rent is an ancient common law self-help remedy that, under certain conditions, allows a landlord to seize and sell a tenant’s property to recover unpaid rent. While there are many aspects of the English common law that still inform the law […]

AREA OF LAW	Landlord and Tenant Personal Property Property Real Property
TAGS	Alberta Residential Tenancies Act, RTA Handbook Alberta, Residential Tenancy Dispute Resolution Service, RTDRS, security deposit interest rate Alberta, move-in inspection report requirements, 14-day eviction notice Alberta, 24-hour notice of entry, substantial breach of tenancy agreement, periodic vs fixed-term tenancy, rent increase notice period Alberta, normal wear and tear vs damage, habitable premises standards, Alberta Public Health Act housing regulation, unauthorized occupants Alberta law, landlord's right to distraint, abatement of rent Alberta, overholding tenant remedies, service of documents Alberta RTA, abandoned goods regulation Alberta, security deposit deductions Alberta, peaceful enjoyment Alberta tenancy, notice of landlord requirements
FORMAT	Publications
FILE	FR122.pdf

Residential Tenancies Act, Issues Paper 7

This report is the second in a series summarizing issues under Alberta’s Residential Tenancies Act, SA 2004, c R-17.1. This report, and the others in the series, lay the groundwork for a larger project on residential tenancies. This series of reports does not make any recommendations to reform. Rather, the series is an inventory of issues. The first report introduced the project and focused on general issues with the Residential Tenancies Act. The second report […]

AREA OF LAW	Landlord and Tenant Property
TAGS	periodic lease, Residential lease agreement, security deposit refund, tenancy rights, security deposit, condition report, landlord-tenant law, eviction notice, habitability standards, rent control, property management, notice to vacate, fixed-term tenancy, rent increase notice, rental application, tenant screening, lease renewal, rental arbitration, housing tribunal, wear and tear, emergency repairs, rental arrears, utility responsibility, co-tenant, lease termination, fair housing act, pet policy, rent receipt, lease addendum, rental inspection, maintenance request, occupancy limits, subletting, guarantor, quiet enjoyment, right of entry
FORMAT	Publications
FILE	IP7.pdf

February 12, 2026

Reviewing Alberta’s Residential Tenancies Act

The Alberta Law Reform Institute (ALRI) is working on a project to look at the rules for landlords and tenants in Alberta. This includes reviewing a law called the Residential Tenancies Act. The Residential Tenancies Act explains the basic rights and responsibilities of landlords and tenants. It says what each side must do or not do. It also gives ways to solve problems between landlords and tenants. This summary document highlights some of the issues […]

AREA OF LAW	Landlord and Tenant Property Real Property
TAGS	houseless, building, rental, apartment, pest, homeless, condo, home, house, cost, eviction, landlord, lease, maintenance, Property, rent, tenant
FORMAT	Publications
FILE	IP6_Visual_Summary.pdf

February 2, 2026

2024-2025 Annual Report


TAGS
FORMAT	Publications
FILE	2024_2025_AnnualReport.pdf

July 22, 2025

The Residential Tenancies Act: General Issues

The Alberta Law Reform Institute (ALRI) has published Residential Tenancies Act: General Issues. This is the first in a series of reports summarizing issues in the law that affects tenants and landlords on a daily basis. The Residential Tenancies Act is important because it affects over 25% of households in Alberta and often involve not just money, but also the basic necessity of shelter, quality of life, health and well-being of landlords, tenants and families […]

AREA OF LAW	Landlord and Tenant Personal Property Property Real Property
TAGS	rental, apartment, townhouse, housing, evict, roommate, pest, vacancy, manager, neighbour, homeless, condo, home, house, dispute, agreement, contract, control, eviction, landlord, lease, Property, rent, residential, tenant
FORMAT	Publications
FILE	IPNo.6.pdf

March 25, 2025

2023-2024 Annual Report


TAGS	financials, annual, report
FORMAT	Publications
FILE	2024_Annual_Report_WIthFinancials.pdf

September 27, 2024

Improving Access to Digital Assets After Death or Incapacity – Frequently Asked Questions

See some of the most frequently asked questions about our law reform project on access to digital assets by fiduciaries. Learn more about what digital assets are, the problems that arise from signing user agreements and the obstacles people can face with trying to access when trying to access a loved one’s digital assets after their death or incapacity.

AREA OF LAW	Wills and Succession
TAGS
FORMAT	Publications
FILE	FR121_FAQ.pdf

August 6, 2024

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