A tenant stops paying rent. It's the call every Calgary landlord dreads. The difference between losing 6 weeks of rent and losing 5 months of rent comes down to what you do in the first 14 days and how cleanly you execute the next 6 weeks. This long-form guide is the complete Alberta playbook: what to do on day 1, day 7, day 14, day 21, and beyond. It's specific to Calgary, current to 2026's RTDRS fee structure and the 2025 RTA amendments expanding electronic service.
Day 1: The Tenant Misses Rent
Rent is due on the first. By the end of the first, no payment has arrived. Pause before you act. Three legitimate things might be happening: a payment that was sent late but is en route, a banking issue the tenant doesn't know about yet, or a genuine inability to pay. Each calls for a different response, but all three start the same way: a polite written reminder.
Send a text or email by end of day on the first or the morning of the second: "Hi [Tenant], just a friendly note that rent for [Month] doesn't appear to have come through yet. Can you confirm the payment status? Thanks." Save the message. The clock has started.
Day 2-5: First Contact and Documentation
If you get a response with a clear plan ("I'll have it on the fifth", "the bank had an issue, sending it today"), document that plan in writing and accept it once, conditionally. Most non-payment situations resolve here, life happens, payments are recovered, the tenant is fine. Note it in your records and move on.
If there's no response or the response is evasive, escalate the documentation. Send a formal email by day 5 noting that the rent is overdue and that a 14-day notice to terminate may be issued if the rent is not paid by a specified date. Tone matters here, professional, factual, no threats. You're building a documentary trail that will support every later step.
Day 5-7: Serving the 14-Day Notice to Terminate
Under section 30 of the Alberta RTA, non-payment of rent is grounds for a 14-day notice to terminate for substantial breach. By day 5-7 with no payment and no credible cure plan, issue the notice.
What the 14-day notice must contain
- The tenant's full legal name (matching the lease).
- The rental address.
- A statement that rent is unpaid, with the specific amount and the period it covers.
- The reason for termination, citing substantial breach for non-payment of rent under section 30 of the RTA.
- The termination date, exactly 14 clear days after the notice is given (the day of service and the termination day are both excluded from the 14, "14 clear days" is the legal standard).
- A statement that the tenant can cure the breach by paying the overdue rent in full before the termination date.
- Your name, address, and signature, with the date of signing.
How to serve the notice
Valid service methods under the RTA: personal service on the tenant, leaving the notice with an adult who appears to reside at the premises, posting on the door in a conspicuous place, registered mail (deemed served 5 days after mailing), or, under the 2025 RTA amendments, electronic methods where the tenant has provided an email address or tenant-portal address that supports retrieval at a later date.
Best practice: serve by two methods simultaneously. Post on the door, photograph the posting with a timestamp, and email a copy if the tenant provided an email in the lease. Save every confirmation of delivery.
Day 7-14: The Cure Window
During the 14-day cure window, the tenant can pay the overdue rent in full and the notice is automatically cured, the tenancy continues. If the tenant pays a partial amount, the notice is not cured. If the tenant pays in full, the rent is current and the matter is closed (though repeated late payments can form a pattern of substantial breach later).
If the tenant pays in full and you do not want to continue the tenancy because of a history of non-payment, the legal route is more complex: you cannot simply refuse the payment. Accept it under protest and document the pattern, building toward a different notice path (such as a notice to terminate based on repeated material breach over time).
Day 14: Tenant Hasn't Paid or Vacated
On day 14, if the tenant has neither paid in full nor vacated the premises, you cannot self-evict. Self-help eviction, changing locks, removing belongings, cutting utilities, is illegal in Alberta and exposes you to significant tenant counterclaims that often exceed the unpaid rent. The legal path is filing with RTDRS for a termination order.
Day 15: Filing with RTDRS
File the RTDRS application online through the eFiling Service on Alberta.ca. The filing fee under the April 1, 2026 tiered structure is $75 for claims of $7,500 or less and $150 for claims over $7,500. Your application should request a termination order plus a monetary order for the unpaid rent and any other damages.
Evidence package, uploaded as a single bookmarked PDF:
- Signed lease and any amendments.
- Move-in inspection report.
- Rent ledger from the start of the tenancy showing every payment received and missed, with bank confirmations.
- The 14-day notice plus proof of service (photographs of posting with timestamps, registered mail tracking, email delivery confirmations).
- All written communications with the tenant about the unpaid rent.
- Any documentation of repeated late payments or prior breaches if relying on a pattern.
Day 28-42: The Hearing
RTDRS hearings for non-payment evictions in Calgary are typically scheduled 3-5 weeks after filing. Hearings are conducted by phone or video. Present your case chronologically: the lease, the rent that was supposed to come in, the dates of non-payment, the notice served, the cure window passing. Concise, factual, dollar-quantified.
If the tenant appears and disputes the rent owed, the hearing officer will weigh evidence. Strong rent ledgers with bank confirmations win. Hand-written running totals without supporting documentation lose. If the tenant fails to appear, the hearing proceeds and you still need to prove your case, don't assume default judgment.
Day 35-50: The Order Issues
The hearing officer issues a written decision typically within 10-30 days of the hearing. A successful application produces two key elements: a termination order specifying the date by which the tenant must vacate, and a monetary order for the unpaid rent (and often interest and costs).
If the tenant vacates voluntarily by the termination date, you regain possession, conduct a move-out inspection, and apply the deposit against unpaid rent and any damages. If the tenant does not vacate, you proceed to the next step.
Day 50+: Writ of Possession and Sheriff Enforcement
File the RTDRS order with the Court of King's Bench and apply for a writ of possession. The court issues the writ, which is then enforced by the Alberta Civil Enforcement Office. The Civil Enforcement Office schedules a sheriff's eviction, the sheriff physically removes the tenant and their belongings from the premises and changes the locks.
Realistic timeline from initial non-payment to sheriff enforcement: 6-10 weeks if every step is procedurally clean. Errors at any step (bad notice, bad service, missing evidence) add 1-4 weeks each.
Recovering Unpaid Rent After the Tenant Is Gone
The monetary order from RTDRS for unpaid rent is enforceable through standard collection mechanisms: garnishment of wages, seizure of bank accounts, registration of the judgment against the tenant's credit, and ultimately civil enforcement through the Civil Enforcement Office. Practical recovery rates are unfortunately low, a tenant who couldn't pay rent often doesn't have garnishable wages or seizable assets. Set your expectations accordingly.
The deposit covers what it covers: up to one month's rent plus damages, less the legitimate deductions you can document. Apply it cleanly and provide the statement of account within the 10-day deadline even when the tenant is non-payment-evicted.
When the Tenant Offers a Payment Plan
Inside the 14-day cure window, tenants often propose payment plans: "I can give you $600 now and the rest in two weeks." The decision to accept is yours, and there's no universally right answer, but there is a discipline that protects you in either direction.
If you accept a payment plan, document it in writing: the exact amounts, the exact dates, the consequences if any payment is missed (typically that the original 14-day notice is reinstated and you proceed to RTDRS). Have the tenant sign and date the agreement. Without a written agreement, you've effectively cured the notice and reset your timeline by accepting the partial payment.
If you decline the payment plan, communicate that decision once, in writing, and proceed on the timeline. "Thank you for the proposal. The full overdue rent of $X must be received by the termination date or I will proceed with RTDRS filing." No further discussion, debate weakens your position and the discipline of the timeline is what protects the outcome.
Tenant Defences You Will Hear at the Hearing
Tenants who appear at RTDRS for non-payment hearings often raise predictable defences. The strong ones to anticipate:
- "The landlord didn't make required repairs, so I withheld rent." In Alberta, unilateral rent withholding for repair issues is generally not lawful, the tenant's remedy is to apply to RTDRS for a repair order, not to stop paying. Be ready to address any repair allegations factually with your maintenance records.
- "The 14-day notice was defective." If the tenant has a copy and a real legal argument, an officer will scrutinize the notice line by line. This is why proper drafting and service matter so much.
- "I never received the notice." Your proof of service is the answer, photographs of posting with timestamps, email delivery confirmations, registered mail tracking.
- "I have a counterclaim for the deposit / harassment / illegal entry." Counterclaims are common and can offset or exceed the rent owing. Be prepared to defend on every front, not just the rent.
- "I paid the rent in cash and the landlord didn't credit it." Without a signed receipt, this is a hard claim for the tenant to win, but it's why you should always provide receipts for cash payments and prefer e-transfer or PAD.
Preventing Non-Payment Before It Starts
Most non-payment cases trace back to a screening miss. The strongest defenses:
- Income at 3x rent verified through three independent documents (pay stubs, employment letter, HR call).
- Credit pull showing no recent collections in housing-adjacent categories.
- Two reachable previous landlord references confirming on-time payment.
- Stable employment, 12+ months at current employer.
- A written lease that clearly states the rent amount, due date, payment method, and late fee policy.
- Pre-authorized debit (PAD) for rent collection, friction-reducing for both parties and reduces month-1 missed payments.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if a tenant doesn't pay rent in Calgary?
Day 1: written reminder. Day 5-7: 14-day notice to terminate for substantial breach. Day 14: if unpaid and unvacated, file at RTDRS. Day 28-42: hearing. Day 50+: writ of possession and sheriff enforcement if needed. The full timeline is typically 6-10 weeks if every step is procedurally clean.
How do I write a 14-day notice to terminate in Alberta?
The notice must include the tenant's legal name, the rental address, the specific unpaid rent amount and period, citation of substantial breach under section 30 of the RTA, the termination date exactly 14 clear days after service, a statement that the tenant can cure by paying in full before the termination date, and your name, address, signature, and date. Templates are available on Alberta.ca.
Can I serve a 14-day notice by email in Alberta?
Under the 2025 RTA amendments, electronic service is permitted where the tenant has provided an email address that supports retrieval at a later date. Best practice: serve by two methods simultaneously (post on door plus email) and save proof of both. Always have the tenant provide an email at lease signing specifically for service purposes.
What if the tenant pays partial rent after the 14-day notice?
Partial payment does not cure the notice, only full payment of the overdue amount cures. Document the partial payment, apply it against the oldest outstanding rent, and continue toward RTDRS filing if the balance remains unpaid by the termination date. Accepting partial payment does not waive your right to enforce the notice.
How much does RTDRS cost in 2026?
$75 for claims of $7,500 or less and $150 for claims over $7,500 effective April 1, 2026. Filing fees are recoverable as costs if you win.
Can I keep the deposit for unpaid rent in Alberta?
Yes. Unpaid rent is a legitimate deduction from the security deposit. Apply the deposit against rent owing first, then against documented damages, and provide the itemized statement of account within 10 days of the tenant vacating. If the deposit doesn't cover the full amount owing, the balance is recoverable through the RTDRS monetary order.
Can I evict for repeated late payment in Alberta?
Yes, but the path is different. Repeated late payment can form a pattern of substantial breach over multiple months. Document each late payment in writing, send escalating communications, and consult an Alberta tenancy lawyer before issuing termination based on a pattern rather than a single missed payment. The evidence threshold is higher than a clean single-month non-payment.
What if I made a mistake on the 14-day notice?
If the notice has a fatal defect (wrong date, missing required content, defective service), the cleanest approach is to withdraw it, issue a fresh notice correctly, and restart the 14-day clock. Trying to proceed on a defective notice typically loses at RTDRS, and a tenant who challenges the notice can buy weeks or months.
Bottom Line
A tenant who stops paying rent in Calgary in 2026 follows a predictable 6-10 week resolution path if you execute every step cleanly: prompt written reminder, properly drafted 14-day notice, clean service, fast RTDRS filing, well-organized evidence package, calm and chronological hearing presentation, and immediate writ-of-possession follow-through if the tenant doesn't vacate. The single biggest determinant of outcome is procedural discipline, not how loud you get, not how angry the situation feels, just whether every step is documentable and defensible. UrbanLease handles end-to-end non-payment resolution for owner-clients, including RTDRS appearances, as part of one flat management fee, but if you're self-managing, this playbook is the difference between a clean recovery and a costly delay.