Quick answer. Under Alberta's Residential Tenancies Act section 23, a landlord must give the tenant at least 24 hours' written notice before entering a rental unit, and the entry must occur between 8:00am and 8:00pm. The notice must state the date, approximate time window, and reason for entry (inspection, repair, showing, routine maintenance). Verbal notice is not sufficient; the notice must be in writing (email, text message where the tenant has consented in the lease, or printed letter). Exceptions where notice is not required: a genuine emergency (fire, flood, gas leak, active break-in), the tenant has given specific consent for that entry, the tenant has abandoned the property, or a court/RTDRS order has authorised entry. Landlords who repeatedly enter without proper notice face RTDRS complaints, damages awards, and (in Calgary) potential Bylaw Services enforcement. Improper entry is one of the top-5 tenant complaints in Alberta.
What Section 23 of the RTA Actually Says
The Alberta Residential Tenancies Act, section 23, is short and specific. A landlord may enter a rental unit only in these circumstances: (a) an emergency; (b) with the tenant's consent given at or before the time of entry; (c) after giving the tenant at least 24 hours' written notice, and only between 8:00am and 8:00pm, and only for a reasonable purpose. That is the whole framework. Everything else (property inspections, contractor visits, showings, maintenance) fits inside those three categories.
What Counts as Written Notice
Written notice can be: a printed letter delivered to the door or handed to the tenant; an email if the tenant consented to email service in the lease or in prior correspondence; a text message if the tenant explicitly consented to text service in the lease. Written notice cannot be: a voicemail, a verbal message left with a roommate, a note taped to the door claiming the landlord will enter, or a general clause in the lease saying 'the landlord may enter with reasonable notice.' The notice must be for a specific entry event with a specific date and time window.
What the Notice Must Contain
- The date of proposed entry (specific calendar date).
- The approximate time window (a 2 to 4-hour window is standard; 'sometime tomorrow' is not).
- The reason for entry (annual inspection, showing to prospective tenant, repair of specific item, contractor visit).
- The identity of who will enter if not the landlord themselves (name of the property manager, contractor, or prospective buyer if for a showing).
- Landlord's name and contact information.
Permitted Reasons for Entry
Reasonable purposes recognised under the RTA and by RTDRS practice include: routine property inspections (typically once every 3 to 6 months is considered reasonable; monthly is generally not), maintenance and repair work, showing the unit to prospective tenants once the current tenant has given or received notice, showing the unit to prospective buyers if the property is listed for sale, contractor visits for specific work orders, and periodic testing of smoke and CO alarms. Not reasonable purposes: entering to check up on the tenant socially, entering to look for evidence of lease breaches without a specific complaint or reason, entering because 'the landlord happened to be in the neighbourhood.'
The Four Emergency Exceptions
An emergency is a situation where immediate entry is necessary to prevent significant damage to the property, protect life or safety, or address an active dangerous condition. The four commonly-accepted emergency categories: (1) fire, actual or suspected; (2) flood, water leak, or burst pipe; (3) gas leak or carbon monoxide alarm; (4) active break-in, active criminal activity, or credible immediate threat to another person on the property. What is not an emergency: unpaid rent, suspected but unverified damage, complaints from neighbours about noise, or discovery of a possible unauthorised occupant. Overusing the emergency exception (frequently claiming 'emergency' for routine matters) is itself a violation and grounds for RTDRS complaint.
Showings While the Unit Is Occupied
The most common Calgary friction point. When either party has given notice ending the tenancy, the landlord may show the unit to prospective new tenants. Each showing requires its own 24-hour written notice. Best practice: batch showings into a single 90 to 120-minute window with clear notice, rather than 6 separate one-hour showings on different days. Tenants can reasonably request that showings avoid specific times (working hours, children's nap times); ignoring reasonable accommodation requests is a poor practice that often invites complaints. If the property is listed for sale during an active tenancy, the same rules apply, plus the tenant has additional rights around access and privacy that a listing realtor must respect.
What Tenants Do When Landlords Ignore the Rules
Tenants who experience repeated improper entry have three remedies. First, document each incident (date, time, witness, photographs of the landlord entering, correspondence showing no notice was given). Second, file an RTDRS application seeking a compliance order, damages for breach of quiet enjoyment, and in extreme cases termination of the tenancy with rent abatement. Third, in Calgary specifically, contact Bylaw Services if the entry involves harassment or trespass patterns; Calgary's harassment framework can apply in landlord-tenant contexts. RTDRS damages awards for improper entry commonly range from $200 to $1,500 per incident depending on severity and frequency, plus any specific losses.
What Landlords Should Actually Do
- Use a written notice template. Save one for inspections, one for repairs, one for showings. Fill in date, time, reason, contractor name.
- Deliver notice by email or text (with prior lease consent) as the primary channel, plus a printed copy on the door as backup.
- Batch entries where possible. One 2-hour visit that covers inspection plus 2 repair items is 3x more efficient than three separate visits.
- Respect the 8am-8pm window strictly. Entering at 7:30am for 'a quick 20 minutes' is a breach even if the tenant does not immediately complain.
- Never use the master key without notice for 'quick check-ins.' It seems harmless, it is a serious RTA breach, and it destroys tenant trust.
- Keep a written log of every entry event with the notice sent, actual entry time, and purpose. This is your evidence if a dispute arises.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I enter my rental property if I still have belongings there?
No, not without giving your tenant 24 hours' written notice. Once you sign a lease, the unit is legally the tenant's home; your ownership does not override the tenant's right to notice. If personal belongings must be retrieved, arrange it with the tenant and give proper notice.
What if my tenant refuses to allow entry after proper notice?
You may not force entry over the tenant's refusal outside of an emergency. If the tenant unreasonably refuses reasonable entry (for essential maintenance, for example), file an RTDRS application seeking an entry order. The order authorises the entry; the tenant's continued refusal after an order is a breach that supports termination.
Does a property manager count as the landlord for entry purposes?
Yes. A RECA-licensed property manager acting on the owner's behalf has the same entry rights and the same notice obligations as the owner. Contractors visiting for scheduled work also require the 24-hour notice; the property manager typically drafts and delivers the notice on the contractor's behalf.
Can the landlord install security cameras inside the rental?
No. Interior surveillance of a residential rental unit without the tenant's explicit consent is a privacy breach and likely violates the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) Alberta. Exterior cameras covering common areas of a multi-unit building are generally permitted with clear signage.
Does UrbanLease handle entry notice and scheduling for owners?
Yes. UrbanLease drafts and delivers all entry notices, batches inspections and contractor visits for efficiency, maintains the entry log, and defends the property in RTDRS if a dispute arises. Property management services are provided by PREP Realty, a RECA-licensed Alberta brokerage.
Bottom Line
Alberta's entry framework is straightforward and enforced. 24 hours' written notice, between 8am and 8pm, for a reasonable purpose. Emergencies are the only exception and 'emergency' has a specific meaning. Landlords who follow the rules avoid the top-5 tenant complaint category and preserve the goodwill that supports lease renewals, prompt maintenance access, and low turnover. Landlords who improvise entry pay for it in RTDRS damages, higher turnover, and reputational damage. UrbanLease handles this workflow for Calgary property owners under RECA-licensed management through PREP Realty. See our full Alberta rental Q&A hub at /answers for related tenancy questions.