Taking Possession - During Tenancy - Laws for Landlords in Alberta

Taking Possession of Rented Premises

It can be important to know when a tenant has actually taken possession or given up possession of rented premises.

For example, you may let a tenant store belongings in the premises before actually moving in. For some purposes such as paying rent or carrying out an inspection of the property, it will be important to know when the tenancy officially began.

You can agree with the tenant when you both want the tenancy to officially begin and end. This agreement should be recorded as a term of the tenancy agreement. If you do not have an agreement to this effect, the Residential Tenancies Act sets out when the tenant will be deemed to have taken and given up possession of the premises.

A tenant will be deemed to have taken possession of the property when he has:

paid the security deposit amount, any required fees and required rent, and
you have given the tenant keys for the purposes of moving in and living there under the tenancy agreement.

January 2006