Core tenant rights under the RTA
- Right to quiet enjoyment, the landlord cannot interfere with the tenant's reasonable use of the unit.
- Right to a habitable unit, heat, water, working appliances, structural safety.
- Right to 24 hours' written notice before entry (except emergencies).
- Right to receive a copy of any signed lease within 21 days.
- Right to a written move-in and move-out inspection report.
- Right to the return of the security deposit with interest, within statutory deadlines.
- Right to dispute any landlord action at RTDRS for a $75 filing fee.
Human-rights protections
The Alberta Human Rights Act prohibits landlords from refusing to rent based on race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, family status, source of income (including AISH and social assistance), and other protected grounds. Source-of-income protections were strengthened in 2021 and are now actively enforced.
What is NOT protected
Alberta has no rent cap, so even legal rent increases of 10% or more are not, by themselves, a violation of tenant rights. There is also no general "right to renew", at the end of a fixed-term lease, either party can decline to renew without giving a reason, as long as the proper notice is given.
How tenants enforce their rights
Most disputes go through the Residential Tenancy Dispute Resolution Service (RTDRS), which is faster and cheaper than the Court of King's Bench. Tenants can claim damages, rent abatement, repair orders, return of deposit, and (in serious cases) termination of the tenancy. Decisions are binding and enforceable like a court order.