August 14, 2025

Document Errors Slowing Down Processing Time for Land Titles 

The Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction has advised that errors in documents sent from law offices to the Government of Alberta Land Titles office continue to be an area of concern. 

With a 25 per cent error rate, it is important for lawyers to ensure a high level of quality control to support processing efficiencies. The current error rate impacts Land Titles staffing resources and the wider legal profession by significantly slowing document processing times.

Ensuring documents are submitted correctly benefits everyone involved. To help in these efforts, the department of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction has created a guide called Land Titles & Surveys Common Documents and Errors: Recommended Fixes and Best Practices.  

Prior to submitting packages for registration, it is important to confirm that:

• all required supporting affidavits for the transaction have been completed (i.e., Affidavit Re: Minors, Affidavit Verifying Corporate Signing Authority, etc.), signed and commissioned; 
• the Commissioner for Oaths/Notary Public has provided their printed name and expiry date; 
• the Notary Seal has been affixed (if applicable); 
• supporting affidavits have been amended to reflect that the document was executed by two-way video conference (if applicable); and 
• the corporate seal is fully legible.

The land titles office will reject incomplete or incorrect submissions to further encourage error-free submissions.  

The Law Society strongly encourages lawyers practising in this area to institute quality control measures in their office to provide complete and accurate packages to Land Titles. Making every effort to ensure documents are registerable on the first submission greatly improves turnaround times and reduces the volume of documents in the queue.

Please contact the Government of Alberta Land Titles office for more information or questions. Lawyers are also encouraged to review and sign up for the Alberta Title Talk Newsletters to keep up-to-date on emerging news, resources and tips.  

On July 14, 2025, the Alberta Real Estate Association (AREA) released updates to its standard form purchase contracts to enhance clarity, consistency and ease of use across all transaction types. 

These updates were developed in close collaboration with AREA’s Forms and Practice Committee, made up of practicing REALTORS® across all disciplines, legal representatives from both north and south Canadian Bar Association (CBA) sections, Real Estate Insurance Exchange (REIX) and their legal counsel, as well as AREA staff.  

As part of the extensive engagement AREA conducted, AREA wants to acknowledge the invaluable contributions of the CBA Real Estate Sections and the Law Society of Alberta Practice Advisors. Together, these organizations have worked to refine the contracts in a way that reflects legislation, protects consumers and supports day-to-day practice.

Updates at a Glance

Residential, Condominium & Country Residential Contracts 

• Governing law & dispute resolution: An additional statement that all disputes will be resolved in Alberta has been added to the existing term that Alberta law governs the contract. 
• Time-specific requirements: Deposit payments and Dower Consent deliveries now require both a time and date. 
• Clarified template conditions: Conditions must include a defined “condition day” to be valid. 
• Financing clause refined: Now reflects the down payment percentage (e.g. 5 per cent) rather than the new financing amount (e.g. 95 per cent). 
• Signing location removed: No longer necessary to specify where in Alberta the document was signed. 

Additional Change to Commercial & Agricultural Contracts 

• Void option aligned: Seller’s void option disbursement process now mirrors other AREA contracts. 

Additional Changes to Residential Resale Condominium Contracts 

• Estoppel certificate clarified: Revisions to clauses 10.3, 10.11 and 10.12 reinforce its inclusion as a required document. 
• Seller/buyer fee responsibilities: The seller is contractually responsible for all amounts owed to the condo corporation, not only contributions and special assessments, until 12 p.m. on completion day; the buyer takes responsibility after that time. 

These updated forms are now available for use by all AREA members and will start to display in transactions moving forward.

If you have questions about the changes or would like to provide feedback for future consideration by the AREA Forms and Practice Committee, please reach out to Bryan Statt, Provincial Practice Advisor. 

A Seat at the Table Initiative: Call for Applications

The Canadian Foundation for Physically Disabled Persons (CFPDP) is encouraging Canadian corporations to appoint people with disabilities to their boards of directors through its A Seat at the Table (SATT) initiative.

The SATT project seeks to see people with disabilities occupy at least one per cent of corporate board positions.

CFPDP is currently accepting applications from potential candidates, and lawyers with disabilities who are interested in joining a corporate board can apply here. For more information, please contact aseatatthetable@cfpdp.com. 

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