Evicting Tenants in Alberta – The Alberta Eviction Process

If you have ever had a problem tenant you can understand the frustrations involved with trying to have them evicted. I unfortunately have accumulated far too much experience in this, but due to this, I also have an extensive understanding of all the steps when evicting a tenant in Alberta.

Previously the process was quite involved and was far easier to be completed by hiring an eviction service, but in the last several years in Alberta a new system for landlords and tenants to deal with disputes was born. This new system is called the Residential Tenancy Dispute Resolution Service or RTDRS for short.

This system provides a streamlined method to have disputes heard quickly and efficiently in a much less formal situation than the traditional court room. It follows the foundation of the traditional eviction process, but with a simplified method of filing the applications.

Now once a tenant breaches their lease for anything from non-payment of rent to damaging the property, the landlord can file an application for eviction nearly immediately and often have their issue heard in as little as five to seven days. Under the previous system, a landlord couldn’t even apply to the courts for eviction until they had submitted a 14 day eviction and if the tenant hadn’t vacated after the eviction date.

You can immediately see the benefit in this for the landlord, as often it would take several weeks after the eviction date just to arrange the hearing under the old method. This streamlined process can shave weeks off the eviction time and allows landlords to get back to business rather than getting their time drained dealing with problem tenants.

A quick recap of the steps now is as follows;

1. Tenant breaches the lease agreement

2. File the application at the RTDRS

3. Attend the informal hearing

4. Receive the hearing officer’s judgment

5. Serve the tenant with the court ordered eviction date

6. Bring in the bailiffs to escort the tenant out if they overstay past the eviction date

Of course, it’s a bit more involved than this, but it is so much simpler than before. If you currently are having issues with a problem tenant in Alberta, I highly recommend you learn more about the RTDRS process.