Alberta and Calgary · Special housing
Special housing in Calgary: when the ordinary route is not enough
Owner-shared homes, secondary suites, condos, mobile-home sites, supportive living, student housing and social housing don't share one regime. This page helps you recognise which you're in, what evidence would settle it, and where the official route is. It does not decide it, and a suite's registration status never answers the tenancy-law question.
RTA + Calgary permits
Secondary or backyard suite
A self-contained suite in or behind a house, rented to a tenant who does not share with the owner.
What is different
- The Act applies in full: deposit, inspections, notice, entry, RTDRS
- Calgary requires development and building permits and lists the suite on the Suite Registry; an unregistered suite can be ordered to comply or close
- Registration is a building fact; it does not change the tenancy rules
Evidence that would settle it
- Is the suite on the Suite Registry?
- Were the permits closed with a final inspection?
- Does the occupant share anything with the owner?
These are the facts a specialist or the applicability check needs. The page does not answer them.
Source: calgary.ca › Secondary suites (fetched 29 Sep 2026) · Land Use Bylaw 1P2007 — verify
Suite route finderRTA + condo bylaws
Condominium unit
A unit in a condominium corporation rented to a long-term tenant.
What is different
- The Act applies in full
- The owner must give the corporation notice of the tenancy and the tenant's name (Condominium Property Act s.53 — verify); bylaws bind the tenant
- The corporation may collect a deposit from the owner, not the tenant
Evidence that would settle it
- Has the corporation been notified?
- Do bylaws restrict pets, parking or short-term use?
These are the facts a specialist or the applicability check needs. The page does not answer them.
Source: Condominium Property Act s.53 — verify
Mobile Home Sites Tenancies Act
Mobile-home site
A pad or site rented to the owner of a mobile home.
What is different
- A different statute with its own rent-increase notice (verify), site standards and termination rules
- The hub's tools do not apply
Evidence that would settle it
- Does the tenant own the home and rent only the site?
These are the facts a specialist or the applicability check needs. The page does not answer them.
Source: Mobile Home Sites Tenancies Act — separate rules for rent increases, notice and site standards (verify)
Not covered by this hubOutside the RTA
Supportive living or care facility
Accommodation with care services under the Supportive Living Accommodation Licensing Act.
What is different
- Not a tenancy under the Act
- Licensing and resident protections under the care legislation
Evidence that would settle it
- Are care services part of the arrangement?
These are the facts a specialist or the applicability check needs. The page does not answer them.
Source: RTA s.2 — verify
Not covered by this hubLargely outside
Post-secondary student residence
Housing operated by an educational institution for its students.
What is different
- Excluded from the Act where the institution operates it (verify); private rentals to students are ordinary tenancies
Evidence that would settle it
- Who is the landlord: the institution or a private owner?
These are the facts a specialist or the applicability check needs. The page does not answer them.
Source: RTA s.2 — verify
Confirm with the applicability checkCity business licence
Short-term rental (under 30 days)
Stays under 30 days.
What is different
- Calgary business licence for short-term rentals; not a tenancy
- This hub does not cover it
Evidence that would settle it
- Is the stay 30 days or more?
These are the facts a specialist or the applicability check needs. The page does not answer them.
Source: Short-term rentals (under 30 days) need a City of Calgary business licence; outside this hub's scope (verify)
Not covered by this hubAt a glance
Which Act, whether Calgary's suite rules apply, and whether the hub's ordinary tools should be used.
| Situation | RTA | Calgary suite rules | Hub tools |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shares living space with the owner | No | n/a | Do not use |
| Secondary or backyard suite | Yes | Permits + registry | Use |
| Condominium unit | Yes | n/a | Use, with the bylaw additions |
| Mobile-home site | MHSTA | n/a | Do not use |
| Social or subsidised housing | Mostly | n/a | Specialist review first |
| Supportive living or care facility | No | n/a | Do not use |
| Post-secondary student residence | Depends | n/a | Use only for private landlords |
| Short-term rental (under 30 days) | No | STR licence | Do not use |
Facts come from the agreement, the permit record, the Suite Registry or the programme document; the hub never infers them from an address.