Alberta and Calgary · Special regimes
Calgary suites, condos, shared homes and mobile-home sites
Four situations Calgary landlords meet most, each with its own overlay on — or exit from — the Residential Tenancies Act. This page helps you recognise which you're in, what evidence settles it, and where the official route is. It never infers the designation from an address.
Secondary / backyard suite
Secondary suite: a self-contained residence (kitchen, living, sleeping, sanitary) within a home; backyard suite: detached on the same parcel (calgary.ca, fetched 29 Sep 2026). The Act applies to the tenant; the City regulates the building through permits and the Suite Registry.
Condominium unit
The Act applies in full; the owner notifies the corporation of the tenant and the bylaws bind the tenant (Condominium Property Act s.53 — verify).
Shared home (owner in residence)
Sharing the landlord's kitchen or bathroom takes the arrangement outside the Act (s.2 — verify); a self-contained suite in the same house does not.
Mobile-home site
Mobile home sites fall under the Mobile Home Sites Tenancies Act, not the RTA — separate rules for rent increases, notice and site standards (verify).
Which one are you in?
- Is the unit a self-contained suite in or behind a house?
- Is the unit in a condominium corporation?
- Does the tenant own a mobile home and rent only the site?
No overlay on these answers; ordinary rules apply.
What changes
| Area | Ordinary rental | Suite | Condo | Shared home | Mobile-home site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tenancy law | RTA | RTA | RTA + bylaws | Outside RTA | MHSTA |
| Rent changes | 365 days; tenancy-month notice | Same | Same | Contract | MHSTA rules (verify) |
| City layer | Community Standards; 311 | Permits + registry | Community Standards | — | Site standards |
| Hub tools | Use | Use + suite route | Use, with bylaw additions | Do not use | Do not use |