Rising COVID-19 Cases and Open House Protocol

With provincial COVID-19 cases on the rise, the Real Estate Council of Alberta, with support from the local Boards/Associations and the Alberta Real Estate Association, is recommending real estate licensees opt for virtual means in place of in-person open houses.

The public nature of open houses makes them difficult scenarios to manage for health risks. Increased community spread in many of Alberta’s populous areas needs to be taken seriously. By working together, we can ensure that the real estate industry is not a cause of COVID-19 spread and that Albertans can continue to buy and sell their properties with confidence in the industry and practitioners.

Please also continue to use electronic means – such as video chats and electronic signatures – to minimize the time spent in direct contact with clients. When with clients, continue to observe health protocols including maintaining social distances and frequent hand washing or disinfecting.

Stay up to date with the provincial public health guidelines and recommendations.

For those clients who insist on an open house, licensees must adhere to the published protocols for open houses, which include:

• Disinfecting surfaces and opening cupboards and closets to reduce touching
• Limiting showings to one family group (preferably two people) at a time
• Disinfecting all high touch surfaces between family groups
• Collecting names and numbers for COVID-19 contact tracing
• Adhering to any municipal bylaws regarding mask usage, size of the gathering, etc.

For more details on these protocols, please visit the RECA COVID-19 and Real Estate webpage and the AREA Open House Protocol webpage.