Restrictions Lifted – What that means for showings in Alberta

On February 8, 2022, the Government of Alberta announced the lifting of some public health restrictions, including the ending of the Restrictions Exemption Program (effective immediately), the removal of some capacity and gathering limits, and the removal of masking mandates, effective on March 1st. Please take a moment to review the new regulations and make sure you understand how they affect your upcoming real estate transactions when dealing with showings, clients, or the public.

Regardless of the provincial guidelines, it is important to note any instructions between buyers, sellers, landlords, and tenants with regards to property access will still need to be followed. Individual circumstances will dictate personal comfort levels and specific instructions (whether government mandated or not) may continue to be requested during property viewings for some time. Persons providing access must have confidence their instructions will be followed, and brokerages expect licensees to follow their guidelines even if they go above and beyond what is required by the government.

Buyers, tenants and their representatives must continue to follow the sellers’ requirements prior to entering their property, including what PPE they must wear, where they can go, what they can touch, and how many people can attend.

The landlord/sellers’ representative continues to be primarily responsible for ensuring buyer/tenant representatives are aware of the instructions of the party providing access around viewings. 

Please continue to have a conversation with your clients about their comfort level with COVID-19 as we hopefully exit the pandemic. RECA’s COVID-19 checklists will continue to be available. Licensees are also encouraged to refer to direction they receive from their regional boards or provincial associations.

If you have any questions regarding property viewing instructions you may have received, feel free to reach out to info@reca.ca. In all cases, RECA encourages you to work with your clients cooperatively to ensure the requirements of everyone involved in the transaction are met.