COVID-19: Alberta Residential Relief Measures

The Alberta government has announced a series of relief measures for residential tenants. These measures are effective March 27, 2020.

• No evictions in April, including evictions for unpaid rent arrears.
• No evictions for the duration of the public state of emergency for tenants who work with their landlords to develop and comply with a reasonable partial payment plan. Tenants and landlords are obliged to act reasonably and the payment plans must accommodate the tenant’s ability to pay.
• Rent increases are paused for the duration of the public state of emergency, including any previously announced rent increases.
• No late fees to be charged by the landlord from April 1, 2020 to June 30, 2020.

These rental relief measures are void if the tenant engages in illegal activity within the premises or wilfully damages the premises.

Although these measures are to grant relief to tenants who are financially struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Alberta government has made it clear that they expect tenants and landlords to access the financial and economic relief measures offered by both Federal and Alberta government during these times and include any relief granted as part of their partial payment plan.

At this time, no similar targeted relief measures have been announced with respect to commercial leases. We direct you to our Small Business Guide to consider the options that may be available under your specific commercial lease.

For more information about the Federal economic measures, please view here. For more information about the Alberta economic measures, please view here. These articles are updated as new information is released.