Calgary Life-Event Home Decision Planner: Private Next-Step Triage

Before using a planning score, ask whether anyone lacks safe housing, heat, water, medication, accessibility, essential belongings, or secure access; whether there is active violence, coercion, exploitation, fraud, property damage, payment default, insurance lapse, or a deadline today. Route emergencies and protective concerns to the appropriate emergency, legal, health, financial, or protective service.

Do not delay urgent help to complete the tool. Record only the category and next responsible contact here, not confidential facts or evidence.

Identify the registered owner and every person or entity who may need to consent, sign, receive notice, access records, or direct proceeds. Note the document that may establish authority: title, will, grant, court order, power of attorney, guardianship or trusteeship order, corporate authority, trust instrument, or agreement.

Classify authority as confirmed by the appropriate professional, document obtained but unreviewed, requested, disputed, or unknown. The planner should stop transaction execution when authority is unresolved.

Choose the controlling event, then state the property decision that is actually open: secure and hold, repair, occupy, rent, sell, buy out an interest, transfer, refinance, buy replacement housing, or gather evidence without transacting. More than one path can remain open while advice is gathered.

This separation prevents a difficult life event from being translated automatically into a sale. Record what outcome the household needs and what evidence could make another path viable.

Enter court, probate, employment, lease, mortgage, insurance, tax, school, care, possession, and maintenance dates. Mark each as fixed, expected, preferred, or unknown. Add the lead time for legal review, financing, valuation, property documents, repairs, marketing, conditions, closing, and moving.

The result should identify the earliest irreversible date, who controls it, what must happen first, and the fallback if it cannot be met.

Record who occupies the home, who has keys or codes, whether access is agreed, any tenants, pets, care needs, vulnerable occupants, vacant periods, insurance implications, and the plan for showings or inspections. Do not change locks, remove contents, enter, or schedule access where authority or safety is disputed without proper advice.

Set a communication method that protects privacy and reduces surprise. Keep access logs where several authorized people or contractors are involved.

List secured payments, property tax, insurance, utilities, condo fees, maintenance, rent, arrears, renewal, penalties, legal cost, storage, moving, temporary housing, repairs, and expected income. Mark whose name is on each account and who is authorized to obtain information or make changes.

Estimate the monthly carrying range and the time available before a payment or coverage problem. Route urgent lender, insurer, legal, or tax questions to the qualified professional rather than guessing.

Inventory title, mortgage statements, tax, insurance, RPR or survey, permits, suite records, condominium documents, leases, condition, claims, renovations, warranties, photographs, contents, keys, and professional reports. Record source, date, custodian, and gaps. Preserve originals and avoid altering evidence during cleanup or repair.

Use a secure document channel agreed with the receiving professional. The general intake can say that a document exists without uploading it or describing private contents.

For each person affected, identify a safe housing option, start date, monthly and moving cost, funding source, accessibility, school or care needs, transportation, pet rules, and a delay fallback. Include temporary housing where the transaction sequence cannot guarantee continuous occupancy.

The planner should not move a sale or transfer into the action lane until the next-housing consequence is understood. A blank housing field is a decision risk, not an administrative detail.

Create separate questions for authority and agreements, financing and payouts, tax treatment, valuation purpose, insurance and vacancy, property condition, marketing and sale, tenancy, and care or accessibility. Name the professional, verified contact route, required documents, deadline, and what decision the answer controls.

Keep the team small enough to coordinate. One person should maintain the chronology and responsibility board without making decisions outside their authority.

The result should name the immediate gate, legal decision owner, property decision, next safe action, fixed date, housing continuity requirement, money risk, missing evidence, professional question, communication owner, and fallback. Share only the portion each participant needs.

Rerun the planner when authority, safety, occupancy, mortgage status, insurance, court direction, care needs, property condition, or next housing changes. Delete or securely archive working notes according to the advice and recordkeeping requirements that apply.

Sources are starting points, not property-specific legal, tax, lending, insurance, valuation, safety, or transaction advice. Recheck publication dates, scope, and the facts that control your decision.