What Should I Do If My Calgary Real Estate Agent Is Not Communicating?

A delayed reply is not the same as an unpresented offer, missed condition, absent signed document, unverified deposit instruction or unavailable closing handoff. Define the issue by the missing decision, action, record or professional duty. Record the request, date, channel, expected response and current consequence.

Separate routine updates from matters requiring immediate action. A useful chronology avoids assumptions about motive and shows whether the professional acknowledged, delegated, completed, contradicted or ignored the task. This distinction determines whether the answer is a communication reset, broker intervention, legal advice or regulatory complaint.

List offer expiry, deposit, financing, inspection, condo-document, waiver, amendment, access, listing, tenant, possession and closing deadlines. Confirm the required document and delivery method. Contact the brokerage main line or broker, lawyer, lender or other responsible professional if delay could cause loss.

Do not assume a complaint, termination request or unanswered message pauses contractual obligations. Assign an owner and fallback route for each deadline. Preserve screenshots or logs, but keep acting through verified channels. Rights and money can be affected before the service dispute is resolved.

Use a short structure: the transaction event, the one unresolved question or action, the evidence attached, the deadline, the requested response and the consequence of no answer. Ask the recipient to correct any factual misunderstanding. Keep emotional history in the chronology rather than burying the live decision.

For example, request the complete signed counteroffer by a stated time, confirmation that a condition notice was delivered, or the brokerage's written plan for tonight's offer presentation. Avoid sending passwords, banking information, alarm codes or unnecessary identity records in ordinary email.

Review the service agreement, amendments, Consumer Relationships Guide and written service promises. Identify the named brokerage and professional, term, duties, communication commitments, backup coverage, reporting, offer handling, confidentiality, remuneration and termination provisions. Obtain any missing signed copy.

RECA rules establish duties beyond marketing language, including service consistent with the relationship, lawful instructions, confidentiality and timely copies of written offers or acceptances. Do not claim a rule breach merely because a preferred update cadence was never agreed; match each concern to the actual fact and duty.

The brokerage broker is responsible for brokerage operations and can often restore service, assign coverage, locate records or address the relationship. Provide the concise chronology, signed agreement, live deadlines, unanswered request and the correction you need. Ask who owns the next action and when it will be confirmed.

Possible corrections include a same-day response, document delivery, backup professional, communication plan, reassignment, facilitated discussion or written release review. Keep the broker's response. Escalation should improve transaction control, not simply add more recipients to an emotional thread.

Request the relationship guide, signed service agreement and amendments, offers and counters, instructions, disclosures, property evidence, notices, receipts and closing materials relevant to the issue. Keep original timestamps and versions. A portal link that may expire is not a durable record.

Missing records can make a communication problem harder to diagnose. If a live offer, deposit, condition or closing document is absent, alert the broker and lawyer immediately. Keep a document index showing requested, received, verified, missing and disputed items.

Persistent service failure may justify discussing correction, reassignment or release, but the signed agreement still governs until changed or ended. Review exclusivity, term, termination, notice, remuneration, post-expiry and active-transaction provisions. Ask the brokerage for its written position.

Do not quietly hire another brokerage or disclose confidential strategy before resolving the first relationship. Overlapping agreements can create compensation, loyalty, confidentiality and authority problems. Obtain Alberta legal advice when the release, breach, payment or live contract is disputed.

RECA accepts written complaints about conduct that may breach the Real Estate Act or Rules and suspected unlicensed activity. Its process is not a substitute for urgent contract advice, damages litigation, bank or fraud action, police assistance, human-rights processes or safety intervention.

A weak response time alone may be a service issue for the professional and broker. Missing offers, records, confidentiality, conflicts, false statements, unauthorized activity or money concerns may create a different regulatory question. Preserve evidence and describe conduct factually rather than asking the regulator to solve every consequence.

An unexpected deposit, wire, e-transfer, key, lockbox, alarm or showing instruction requires independent verification. Call a trusted brokerage, lawyer or bank number already known to you. Do not use contact details supplied only in the suspicious message and do not forward credentials.

If money may have been sent incorrectly, contact the bank, lawyer, brokerage and appropriate fraud or police channel immediately. Preserve the message headers, account details and verification calls. Communication failure and impersonation can look similar until identity is confirmed.

After correction, document the primary channel, routine update schedule, urgent response window, backup person, offer or showing protocol, document repository, decision log and next review date. Each participant should know which messages require acknowledgement and which person can act during an absence.

Test the plan at the next material event. If it fails again, move through the agreed broker, contract, legal or complaint path with the existing evidence. A restored relationship should produce verifiable action and records, not only an apology or promise to do better.

Last source review: July 30, 2026. Laws, rules, forms, professional authorization, complaint processes, service models, brokerage policies, market evidence and transaction facts can change. Verify the actual agreement, professional, brokerage, property, payment and deadline with RECA, the brokerage, an Alberta lawyer or the qualified specialist responsible for the conclusion.