What Is a Real Property Report and Why Do Alberta Sales Need One?
This answer covers the law of Alberta.
A Real Property Report, or RPR, is a service provided by an Alberta Land Surveyor. Only a person holding a certificate of registration and annual certificate under the Land Surveyors Act, RSA 2000, c L-3, may practise surveying in Alberta.
Alberta law does not make an RPR a statutory requirement for a sale, but most standard residential purchase contracts require the seller to give the buyer a current RPR with a municipal stamp of compliance. Buyers' lenders and lawyers usually require a current one too.
The surveyor does not decide whether the report complies with municipal bylaws; you take it to the municipality in person to get a compliance stamp. That stamp confirms only that the improvements shown meet the municipality's requirements, and it does not address easements, covenants or the building's use. If the review finds a problem such as an encroachment or setback issue, the seller is typically expected to resolve it before the stamp is given. Where nothing has changed since an existing RPR, the seller may sign a Statutory Declaration or Affidavit saying so, but if the property has changed, only an updated RPR with a compliance stamp will do. Ideally, buyers see the RPR before making an offer.
Key takeaways
- An RPR is prepared by an Alberta Land Surveyor, who must hold a certificate of registration and annual certificate under the Land Surveyors Act.
- Most standard Alberta residential purchase contracts require the seller to give the buyer a current RPR with a municipal stamp of compliance, but that is a contract term rather than a statutory requirement.
- The municipal stamp confirms only that the improvements shown meet the municipality's requirements, not the building's use, easements or covenants.
- Buyers' lenders and lawyers usually require a current RPR, so ideally buyers see it before making an offer.