What Should a Calgary Landlord Do When Repairs Are Requested?

Put fire, gas, carbon monoxide, electrical danger, active flooding, sewage, no heat in severe weather, security failure and structural instability into the immediate lane. Give clear safety instructions and contact emergency services, utilities, condominium response or insurers when the facts require it. Record the time and source of every instruction.

Then separate essential-service or habitability issues, urgent loss prevention, ordinary repairs, tenant-caused questions, preventive work and capital improvements. A squeaking door and active ceiling leak should never wait in the same queue.

Confirm receipt, summarize the reported symptom, ask only the questions needed for safety and access and state the next action and update time. Do not promise responsibility, insurance coverage or a completion date before diagnosis. Silence makes a manageable repair look ignored.

Use one written chronology even when phone calls are necessary. Add photographs or videos provided by the tenant, but preserve originals and avoid asking for unsafe testing or unnecessary personal images.

Ask the tenant to take reasonable low-risk steps such as moving belongings from water or using a shutoff when they can do so safely and know its location. Dispatch qualified help for electrical, gas, heating, plumbing, structural or health work. Temporary protection should not become an indefinite substitute for repair.

Alberta guidance says landlords are responsible for keeping premises reasonably safe and in good repair throughout the tenancy. Responsibility for cost can be investigated, but necessary protective action should not be delayed simply because fault is disputed.

Seek specific consent for an urgent mutually convenient visit or provide compliant written notice for repair or inspection entry. Confirm who will attend, the window, work area, pet or alarm issue, key process and tenant contact. For a genuine emergency, document why immediate no-notice entry was reasonable.

In condos, coordinate building access, elevators, shutoffs and manager requirements. For suites, consider shared utilities and mechanical rooms. Record refusal or failed access factually and obtain advice rather than forcing a routine visit.

Record the contractor's observations, root cause, affected systems, immediate work, recommended permanent repair and whether more testing is needed. Separate maintenance, capital replacement, tenant conduct, condominium common property, utility, warranty and insured loss. More than one party can have a role.

Do not send a tenant an invoice merely because the issue occurred during their tenancy. Compare the agreement, evidence, ordinary use, maintenance history and qualified findings. Keep the repair decision separate from any later claim.

Store the request, acknowledgement, access basis, contractor, scope, approvals, before-and-after evidence, invoice, permits or reports, completion date and tenant communication. Ask whether the symptom is resolved and set a follow-up for intermittent leaks, drainage, pests, condensation or heating.

Update the asset register and warranty file. A closed invoice is not a closed repair when the cause remains active or related damage was not investigated.

Contact the insurer promptly when policy notice may be required, even while coverage remains uncertain. Preserve damaged materials and photographs as directed and coordinate mitigation. For housing-health concerns, use current Alberta Health Services Environmental Public Health guidance and qualified remediation advice.

Do not represent cosmetic cleaning as mould remediation or rely on an unqualified opinion for asbestos, structural, electrical, gas or significant indoor-air concerns. Record who owns each professional question.

Before winter, confirm furnace service, filters, exterior taps, vacant-property checks, thermostat instructions and emergency contacts. Before spring and summer storms, review drainage, sump equipment, roof, downspouts, sewer exposure, hail-sensitive exterior materials and insurance deductibles.

A cold snap or cloudburst compresses contractor capacity. Maintain primary and backup vendors, spending authority and tenant communication templates. Remote owners need a local person who can physically assess the property.

Escalate when safety remains unresolved, access is repeatedly disputed, repair scope is contested, costs are material, the tenant alleges loss, rent withholding is threatened or the issue affects possession, health, insurance or a sale. Preserve the chronology before positions harden.

RTDRS can award certain monetary or tenancy remedies but does not simply order every requested repair. Obtain legal guidance about available remedies, evidence and urgent alternatives. Do not retaliate or use self-help.

Last source review: July 30, 2026. Tenancy rules, forms, interest rates, service methods, dispute procedures, health requirements, insurance terms and licensing can change. Verify the actual agreement, property, event and deadline with the Alberta lawyer, licensed property manager, insurer, accountant, contractor, municipality or government service responsible for the answer.