Tenant Left Belongings Behind in Alberta

In Alberta, what you may do with a former tenant's goods depends mostly on their value. If you believe on reasonable grounds that the goods have a total market value of less than $2,000, you may dispose of them. If they are worth more, you must store them for 30 days after the date of abandonment, then sell them at public auction. These rules come from section 31 of the Residential Tenancies Act and section 5 of the Residential Tenancies Ministerial Regulation.

The rule covers goods left by a tenant who has abandoned the premises, or who moved out after the tenancy expired or was ended. It does not cover goods left when a civil enforcement agency carries out an order of possession. Those follow the Alberta Rules of Court, so ask the agency what happens to them.

The Act and the Regulation do not set out a notice step before you dispose of or sell the goods. A dated list and photos of what you found are still the simplest way to show later what the goods were and why you valued them as you did.

The Act uses the word "abandoned" but does not define it. The RTA Handbook lists signs to look for: rent unpaid, mail not picked up, utilities in the tenant's name disconnected, and newspapers or flyers piling up. A tenant who is simply away for a while has not abandoned the unit.

You may enter without consent or notice if you have reasonable grounds to believe the tenant abandoned the premises. The Handbook still advises serving the 24 hour entry notice to be safe, which also gives you a record. See the Alberta entry notice guide for what that notice must say.

If you accept the abandonment as the end of the tenancy, you may claim lost rent, but you must take reasonable steps to re-rent. If a person who is not a tenant is still living in the unit, you can give that person a written notice to vacate with at least 48 hours to leave. Our abandoned property answer covers the first steps in short form.

Work out the total market value of everything left behind, using your reasonable belief at the time. Then match it to the table. The Act says "less than" $2,000 for disposal, so goods worth exactly $2,000 must be stored.

Some government guides word these points more loosely than the Act does, for example on who approves a private sale or on what happens to goods that lose value fast. Follow the Act.

1. Confirm the tenancy has ended or the unit is abandoned. Keep dated photos of the signs you relied on.
2. List and photograph everything. Estimate the total market value and write down how you reached the figure.
3. Pick the path from the table above: dispose, sell because storage is unsafe or costly, or store.
4. If you store the goods, hold them on the tenant's behalf for 30 days after the date of abandonment.
5. Afterwards, sell by public auction, or by private sale with court approval.
6. Handle the money as described in the next section.
7. Keep your records for at least 3 years.

Treat the security deposit as a separate track. The Act sets a 10 day deadline after the tenant gives up possession to return it or send a statement of account. The Alberta security deposit guide covers that.

You may not profit from the sale of abandoned goods. Sale proceeds first cover your costs, and then the tenant's debts to you. Those debts must be shown by an affidavit mailed to the tenant, with a copy to the Director, or by a court judgment. Any surplus goes to the Minister, who holds it for the tenant for one year and then pays it into the General Revenue Fund if the tenant has not claimed it.

You must keep records of what you did with the goods for at least 3 years. Failing to do so is an offence under section 60(1) of the Act, with a fine of up to $5,000.

• Do not dispose of goods worth $2,000 or more straight away. They go into storage first unless one of the unsafe or costly exceptions applies.
• Do not treat an absent tenant as an abandoned one. A tenant who is away for an extended time has not abandoned the unit.
• Do not remove belongings or change the locks while the tenant still lives there. Landlords are never allowed to remove an overholding tenant or their belongings without civil enforcement. See what to do when a tenant will not leave after notice.
• Do not keep the surplus. It goes to the Minister.
• Do not skip the records. That is the part of section 31 that carries a fine.

The tenant, or the person entitled to the goods, can get them back by paying your proper costs of removal and storage. Hand them over at that point, as long as you still hold them.

If the tenant disagrees about the value you set, or claims for goods you disposed of, the matter goes to the Residential Tenancy Dispute Resolution Service (RTDRS) or the Alberta Court of Justice. RTDRS accepts claims up to $100,000 within 2 years of the claim coming to the applicant's attention. Its filing fee has been tiered by claim amount since April 1, 2026, so check the RTDRS page for the current figure. If you are not sure where the tenant went, see my tenant has disappeared. This guide explains the rules in general terms; for a specific case, ask the tribunal or a licensed legal professional.