With the provincial government signalling the conclusion of the pandemic status by lifting community health and safety protocols, stakeholders in the real estate sector, including sellers, buyers, occupants, and agents, are increasingly at ease with accommodating property showings.
During the pandemic, Alberta real estate boards temporarily eased showing rules and extended the maximum duration for withdrawing listings to align with community and client commitments to COVID-19 protocols.
Despite the government lifting restrictions in June 2022, concerns about a potential virus resurgence led the boards to persist with the rule relaxations. Periodic checks on CREB® listings revealed a diminishing trend of properties citing COVID-19 as the reason for showings being declined or withdrawals being extended.
After carefully considering the initial implementation reasons in 2020 and the current landscape, the Alberta real estate boards have decided to retire the COVID-19 rule relaxations. To aid CREB® members in this transition, listing agents are granted until Jan. 31, 2024, to assess and make any necessary adjustments to their listings.
Starting Feb. 1, 2024, residential listings are expected to comply with CREB® Rule Part II 2.03(b), which stipulates that active properties on the MLS® System should be available for showings within 24 hours of a viewing request, with the following exceptions outlined below:
- If the property is occupied by a tenant as defined by the Residential Tenancies Act, the property will be available for showing, as prescribed by the Residential Tenancies Act.
ii) If the property is a judicially ordered sale, the property will be available as prescribed I. The judicial order.
iii) Commercial properties, which are not subject to Rule 2.03(b).
Additionally, members are encouraged to review properties in withdrawn status due to COVID-19, ensuring that listings are updated by Feb. 1, 2024, when CREB® Rule Part III 3.05 will revert to pre-pandemic expectations.
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