Screening in Alberta does not start at the application form. The first phone call, text or email already collects personal information, and the privacy and human rights rules apply to every question you ask in it.

What can you ask on the first call or message?

Ask what you need to decide whether to rent, and say why you are asking. Alberta’s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) requires you to tell the person, in writing or orally, before or at the time you collect their information, the purposes and the name or title of someone who can answer their questions (section 13). The OIPC’s landlord guidance says landlords may request only what is reasonably required to decide whether to rent to the person.

Questions that fit a first conversation:

  • When they want to move in, and a phone number or email. The OIPC notes you need contact information to tell the person your decision.
  • Their rental history and whether they can give references. The Alberta Human Rights Commission says landlords usually may ask about rental history, but should be cautious about refusing people who have none, such as recent immigrants.
  • Roughly what they earn. The Commission says landlords can ask about the amount of income, but cannot refuse someone because of its source.
  • Who will live in the unit. The OIPC says landlords may request the names of the people living in their property.
  • Whether they have pets, keeping in mind the next point.

The pet question is where first calls go wrong. In Fitzhenry v. Schemenauer, which the Commission describes, a person with a guide dog phoned about a rental and was told dogs were not allowed and he could not view it. The Alberta Human Rights Panel found discrimination based on physical disability. The Commission’s rental housing page says housing providers cannot discriminate against people with a qualified service or guide dog.

Keep the SIN, bank details and photos of ID off the first call; the limits on each are below. If a prospect declines to answer something you need, the OIPC says you must explain the consequences, which may include not offering the tenancy.

What should you never ask?

Never ask about a ground protected by the Alberta Human Rights Act. Section 5 bars refusing a tenancy, or setting different terms, because of race, religious beliefs, colour, gender, gender identity, gender expression, physical disability, mental disability, age, ancestry, place of origin, marital status, source of income, family status or sexual orientation. It covers self-contained dwelling units, such as an apartment, house or townhouse.

The Commission’s information sheet gives examples of questions a landlord should not ask: “Do you have children?”, “Are you planning on having children?”, “Where are you from?”, “Are you single? Are you married? Are you divorced?” and “Do you go to church?”. Its rental housing page lists these as examples of discrimination:

  • Using a rent-to-income ratio to screen potential tenants.
  • Asking for credit information only from tenants of a particular race.
  • Asking questions that can be used to discriminate based on family status, marital status, religion or ancestry.

The Act defines age as 18 or older, and section 5 allows a minimum age for occupancy where every unit is reserved for households with someone 55 or older. Section 5 applies to any person, not only owners: it opens with “No person shall”. Section 3 also bars publishing, before the public, any notice or statement that indicates discrimination on these grounds, such as an ad. The OIPC adds that collecting information protected under the Act is usually not a reasonable purpose under PIPA.

What can the application ask for?

Only what is reasonably required to decide, which the OIPC says may include reasonable proof that the applicant can pay rent and references from other landlords. Its specific positions:

  • Photo ID: you can ask to see it. Copying it or recording the number may not be reasonable, because a driver’s licence carries details such as height and eye colour that a rental application does not need.
  • References: only with consent, and landlords should share only what relates to suitability, such as complaints, damage and rent payment history, not personal characteristics or appearance.
  • SIN: avoid collecting it. A full name and date of birth will produce a credit report in nearly all cases, and unless you can show a SIN is required by law, you cannot deny a tenancy because someone refuses to give it. Service Canada also says a SIN is not needed to fill out a rental application.
  • Bank details: the OIPC discusses them for processing rent payments, limited to what the payment method needs, with an alternative if the tenant does not consent.
  • Anything unrelated: its example is educational background, which a landlord would not need.

PIPA section 7(2) bars making consent to collect more than is necessary a condition of renting. Section 35 lets you keep personal information only as long as you reasonably need it for legal or business purposes, then requires you to destroy it or make it non-identifying.

Can you run a credit or background check, and how?

Yes, with express consent in a form you can prove. Section 44 of the Consumer Protection Act lets a reporting agency furnish a report for entering into or renewing a tenancy only with the individual’s express consent. That consent must be in a verifiable form, including writing and audio recordings, so a verbal yes on a call needs to be captured, for example in a recording.

The OIPC says landlords can request a credit report if they have concerns about non-payment of rent, need consent under both the Consumer Protection Act and PIPA, and may instead agree that the applicant gets their own report and shares a copy. On other checks:

  • Criminal record: it may not be reasonable to request one. A landlord who seeks it should be ready to justify why a reasonable person would consider it appropriate.
  • Internet and social media searches: discouraged. Social media is not a publicly available source under PIPA.
  • Screening companies: you cannot use a third party to collect what you could not collect yourself, and you are responsible for its compliance with PIPA.
  • “Bad tenant” lists: avoid sharing to them or using them.

Are application fees and deposits allowed?

Deposits are capped at one month’s rent, and the government’s own handbook does not treat application fees as prohibited. Section 43 of the Residential Tenancies Act bars requiring a security deposit greater than one month’s rent, or requiring an increase in it later. The Government of Alberta says deposits go into an interest-bearing trust account in Alberta within 2 banking days of collection.

On application fees, the government’s RTA handbook (June 2025) says a landlord may want to charge one, and a person who does not want to pay it does not have to apply. The same handbook says:

  • Any refundable fee, such as a key or pet deposit, counts toward the one-month limit.
  • A non-refundable fee agreed in the tenancy agreement is not a security deposit and is considered rent.
  • Fees should reasonably reflect actual costs, and one beyond cost recovery may be held unenforceable.
  • All fees should be disclosed when an application and security deposit are taken.

At a glance

Question Rule in Alberta Source
Application fee Not prohibited, per the government handbook; disclose it RTA handbook (June 2025)
Security deposit Up to one month’s rent, no later increase, trust account within 2 banking days RTA s. 43, Alberta.ca
Refundable pet or key deposits Count toward the one-month cap RTA handbook
Photo ID View it; copying may not be reasonable OIPC
SIN Avoid; no refusal for declining OIPC, Service Canada
Credit check Express consent in verifiable form, writing or audio Consumer Protection Act s. 44
Criminal record check May not be reasonable; be ready to justify OIPC
Rent-to-income ratio Listed as discrimination Alberta Human Rights Commission
Human rights grounds Do not ask; source of income is protected Human Rights Act s. 5
Retention Only as long as reasonably needed PIPA s. 35