Tenant FAQ

A Residential Leasing Group representative will provide you with an application to lease.  Once the application is completed and signed, we will require a Deposit equal to the one (1) month’s rent.  The signed application gives us permission to perform a credit check and follow up with your employer and previous landlords. Once the application is approved, you are informed, your Deposit is placed in our “In Trust” account, (where it will then be held as the Security Deposit for the term of your lease), and all advertising for the property is stopped.

We use a standard fixed term lease reflecting the rights and responsibilities of both tenants and landlords as stipulated in the Residential Tenancy Act for the province of Alberta.

A fixed term lease is for a specific period of time, typically one year. It begins and ends on specific dates. At the end of the fixed term the landlord and tenant may negotiate a new residential tenancy agreement. The new agreement could include a change in the rent amount and the conditions of the tenancy.

If a tenant has given the landlord consent, either verbally or in writing, the landlord may enter the premises at any time. No notice is required.The landlord may enter the residential premises without permission only if the landlord has given the tenant a written notice at least 24 hours before the time of entry. The notice has to be in writing, be signed by the landlord or agent and state the reason, date and time of entry.

The landlord can give notice to enter to do repairs or to inspect the state of repair of the premises, take necessary steps to control pests, show the premises to prospective purchasers or mortgagees, show the premises to prospective tenants after the landlord or tenant has given notice to end a tenancy or in the final month of a fixed-term tenancy

The tenant does not have to be present when the landlord enters the premises since the landlord has the right to enter as long as proper notice has been provided.

The landlord may enter the premises without permission and without giving proper notice to the tenant if the landlord has reason to believe there is an emergency or when the landlord has reason to believe that the tenant has abandoned the premises.

A security deposit cannot be more than one month’s rent.  The amount is based on the rent charged at the start of tenancy. The deposit amount cannot be increased if the rent increases.

When the tenant gives up possession of the property (which is usually when the tenant gives the keys back to the landlord), the landlord has 10 days to deliver a statement of account to the tenant. “Deliver” means the landlord must put the statement in the mail to the tenant in 10 days. It does not mean the tenant has to receive it within 10 days.

The statement of account sets out the original security deposit amount; any interest being paid; the reason for and amount of any deductions; and the amount of the security deposit being returned to the tenant. If the landlord is returning some or all of the security deposit to the tenant, the landlord will include a cheque along with the statement.

Ocassionally the landlord will need to obtain pricing for repairs or cleaning which may take longer than 10 days.  In this case, the landlord will provided a statement of account within 10 days with estimates for an deductions, and then provide a final statement of account within 30 days of the tenant giving up possession, along with a cheque for the returned portion of the security deposit.