Service Alberta is proposing more condo rule changes that would result in high fees for condominium documents. But it’s not too late to advocate for change – here’s how.
Fill out the survey
Share your thoughts. You can have your say by completing a survey that will further shape these new rules.
Email your MLA
MLAs need to hear from REALTORS® in their communities. Ensure your MLA hears your message and acts in the community’s interest by following these simple steps:
- Take the below text provided by AREA and customize it to best suit your needs;
- Search for your local MLA’s email with your address or postal code here;
- Click on your MLA’s name which will bring you to their contact page; and
- Send a message to your MLA by using the email address on the page.
If you cc advocacy@albertarealtor.ca on your email, AREA can follow up to maximize your email’s effect.
AREA email template
Hello [MLA’s name] and staff,
I am a REALTOR® that works and lives in your constituency. This month Service Alberta is conducting a survey on new regulations for the Condominium Act that have me worried for condo buyers, condo owners and for all Albertans. Looking at it from a numbers perspective, the annual household total income for condominium owners reported by Statistics Canada was more than $33,000 below that of other homeowners in 2011. Charging fees for condominium documents that are required to by law to be provided adds unwarranted costs to condominium resale transactions and creates an unnecessary barrier to the mobility of middle-income Albertans.
Within the proposed regulations are fixed fees for Condominium related documents which are drastically higher they should be. Owners already own these documents, yet the proposal sets out a structure to gouge consumers. For example:
- British Columbia has set a maximum cost of an Estoppel Certificate at $35. In comparison Alberta is proposing a fee of $200 for access to the same document. Worse yet this fee can be increased to $600 if it is needed quickly.
- Other proposed fees are unnecessary as proven by the low fee environments in BC and Ontario
REALTORS® hear elected officials speaking about affordability for Albertans often. This condominium fee proposal does not accomplish that. I want life to be more affordable for my neighbours and for my community. What has been proposed works against that. Having regulations that protect document access without gouging is a simple step; it works in other provinces. I encourage you to be a champion on this issue for your constituents and to speak with your peers and with the Ministry of Service Alberta. You would be doing a great service to our province.
Thank you for your time,
[Your name]
[Your postal code]
To read more about AREA’s position on Condominium Property Act regulations, click here.
For questions on AREA’s provincial advocacy, please contact communications@albertarealtor.ca
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