How Long Does Eviction Take in Alberta?
The Short Answer
If the tenant cooperates — pays outstanding rent after a 14-day notice, or vacates by the termination date — the process takes as little as 16 calendar days for a breach notice or three months plus a few days for a prescribed-reason termination. If the tenant doesn't cooperate, you're looking at the RTDRS hearing and enforcement process, which adds weeks to months.
Stage 1: The Notice Period
The timeline starts when you serve the notice. The length depends on the termination ground:
| Termination Ground | Notice Period | Earliest Calendar End |
|---|---|---|
| Non-payment of rent | 14 clear days | ~16 days from service |
| Substantial breach | 14 clear days | ~16 days from service |
| Significant damage / assault | 24 hours | Next day |
| Personal / family occupancy | 3 full tenancy months | ~90 days from service |
| Sale (purchaser occupancy) | 3 full tenancy months | ~90 days from service |
| Major renovations / demolition | 365 days | ~1 year from service |
"14 clear days" means the day of service and the termination date are both excluded. If you serve on October 1, Day 1 is October 2, Day 14 is October 15, and the earliest lawful termination date is October 16. Getting this count wrong invalidates the notice entirely.
Stage 2: Tenant Response
This is where timelines diverge. Three outcomes are possible:
Tenant complies. They pay the rent (curing a non-payment notice) or vacate by the termination date. Process over. For a 14-day breach notice, that's about 16–18 days total. For a three-month no-fault notice, roughly 90–95 days.
Tenant files a Notice of Objection. For a substantial breach notice (not non-payment), the tenant can serve a written objection before the notice expires. This voids the notice immediately. You must now apply to the RTDRS or Alberta Court of Justice — you cannot treat the tenancy as terminated.
Tenant simply stays. If the termination date passes and the tenant doesn't leave, you cannot physically remove them or change the locks. You need a formal order of possession from the RTDRS or court, followed by a Writ of Possession enforced by a civil enforcement bailiff.
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Stage 3: RTDRS Application and Hearing
Filing a landlord's application (Form RTDR0007) costs $75. The RTDRS schedules hearings based on case volume and urgency, but typical wait times run 2–4 weeks from filing to hearing date. Urgent matters (24-hour notices for damage or assault) can sometimes be expedited.
At the hearing, both parties present evidence. The adjudicator can grant an order of possession, dismiss the application, or order monetary compensation. The hearing itself usually takes 1–3 hours. You get the written order within a few days.
Stage 4: Enforcement
An RTDRS order of possession doesn't remove the tenant. You must register the order with the Court of King's Bench to obtain a Writ of Possession, then hire a civil enforcement agency (bailiff) to execute the writ. The registration process takes a few days to a week. The bailiff schedules the actual removal, which can take another 1–2 weeks depending on their workload.
Realistic Total Timelines
| Scenario | Estimated Total Time |
|---|---|
| 14-day notice, tenant complies | 16–18 days |
| 14-day notice → objection → RTDRS → enforcement | 8–14 weeks |
| 3-month no-fault notice, tenant complies | ~90 days |
| 3-month notice → tenant stays → RTDRS → enforcement | 4–6 months |
| 24-hour notice, tenant complies | 1–2 days |
| 24-hour notice → RTDRS emergency → enforcement | 2–6 weeks |
The most common sticking point is the gap between "the notice expires" and "the RTDRS issues an order." That waiting period is why procedural accuracy on the original notice matters so much — a notice that's thrown out for a counting error or a missing curative clause means starting the entire timeline over.
What You Can Control
You can't control how fast the RTDRS schedules a hearing or how long the bailiff takes. What you can control is whether your notice is valid on the first attempt. The most common reasons for restarting the clock: miscounting the 14 clear days, omitting the curative clause on a non-payment notice, failing to state the prescribed reason with enough specificity, or using an unauthorized service method.
Our Ending a Tenancy in Alberta guide includes a notice date calculator and service log to get the procedural details right the first time — so you don't lose weeks to an invalid notice.
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