The property rights that you have at the end of a relationship depend on what kind of relationship you had in the first place. Are you married? Living together? If you are married, then the property rights that you have come from Alberta’s Matrimonial Property Act. If you are living together but are … [Read more...]
What is an offence under provincial renting laws?
In many provinces, the law that applies to landlords and tenants states that if someone breaches specific sections under that law, then they have committed an offence. For example, in Nova Scotia, section 23 of the Residential Tenancies Act states the following: Any person who violates or fails to … [Read more...]
Can a landlord charge a tenant for renovations?
I just got a question from a tenant. The landlord replaced all the windows in the rental property, and then gave the tenant a bill for half the cost of the renovations. Seriously. The tenant doesn’t have to pay the landlord the money. There are some costs that are simply the costs of doing … [Read more...]
I’ve Been Good. Can My Landlord Make Me Move?
Can a landlord end a tenancy when the tenant has not done anything wrong? It depends. We're going to look at some different factors that come into answering this question. Just so we're all on the same page, today we're talking about periodic tenancies, which are the kinds of tenancies that continue … [Read more...]
Domestic Violence, Renting and the Law
Homelessness is often a result of domestic violence (DV). When someone is fleeing violence at home, he or she needs somewhere to live and often has few or limited resources. There are additional difficulties if the person is a renter and either wants to remain living in the property, or is trying to … [Read more...]
Housing and Neighbours
If you are like the majority of people in Alberta, you live with neighbours. Living closely with other people means that there will probably be disputes. You can go to this blog post to find out more about what you can do if you aren't getting along with the people across the fence. If you … [Read more...]
Leases and Residential Tenancy Agreement Forms
Alberta doesn't have standard leases or residential tenancy agreement forms. This means that the landlord and the tenant can make up their own agreements, or they can use forms available from organizations across Alberta that develop them. Landlords and tenants should make sure that they are using … [Read more...]
Alberta Housing Act
This is part of a blog series for Housing Month. Click here to see the full series. The Alberta Housing Act is a law that deals with subsidized housing. Under that law, management bodies are approved by the province to operate subsidized housing in communities across the province. If you are … [Read more...]
CMHC Worksheets and Sample Letters for Renters
This is part of a blog series for Housing Month. Click here to see the full series. The Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation has a lot of information on their website, but today we're going to highlight their worksheets and sample letters for renters. The sample letters cover situations … [Read more...]
November is Housing Month
To celebrate November being housing month, I will be highlighting programs, services and organizations that help within the housing sector in Alberta. I'm the most familiar with renting resources, as CPLEA coordinates the Laws for Landlords and Tenants in Alberta program, but we'll try to get … [Read more...]