Reference Guide: Preface

This guide is intended as a reference manual on landlord and tenant law in Alberta for use by people with a significant level of knowledge about residential tenancies. It provides an overview of the law with respect to major issues that arise for both landlord and tenants during the rental relationship.

The guide begins with a brief history of landlord and tenant law to show the importance of both the written contract to rent residential premises and the statute law as it affects the terms of that contract.

The guide goes on to deal with the various parts of the Residential Tenancies Act in Alberta. Some material is, of necessity, repetitive as there are parts of the Act that overlap and apply to more than one area. For example, the rules about how notices are to be served are the same whether it is a notice to terminate a tenancy or a notice for a landlord to gain access to the premises.

Introduction and Definitions