The Alberta government has joined other Western provinces and banned residential rental evictions, but so far the ban only applies for one month.
Premier Jason Kenney had rejected calls for an eviction ban as late as March 27. That was before latest models on the impact of COVID-19 suggested that it could lead to huge spike in jobless numbers in the province.
“No one will be evicted for non-payment of rent and/or utilities until after April 30, 2020,” according to a government release April 3.
“Effective immediately and until the state of public health emergency is lifted, landlords are required to work with residential and mobile home site tenants to work out a payment plan before an application for possession of the premises due to non-payment of rent will be considered,” the statement reads.
Additionally, the government has suspended civil enforcements of evictions for non-payment of residential rent until April 30, 2020.
Landlords who already have an order for possession of the premises from either the court or the Residential Tenancy Dispute Resolution Service cannot have a civil enforcement agency remove the tenant from the premises until after April 30.
Rent increased will also be frozen, even if increases were planned or announced already, according to the government.
