Property Damage Claim — How, when, where, to file in Alberta
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Do you believe you have a property damage claim? Do you know how, when, and where to file in Alberta?
If your tenant’s security deposit doesn’t come close to covering the costs of the damage they wreaked on your property, and you’re also losing rental income until the property is repaired, you need to file a damage claim.
This blog post is a recap of www.neldaschulte.com’s Ask Nelda
(almost) Anything interview on March 15th, 2022, with special guest Don Gray of Edmonton Eviction Services. Don shared his expertise on how to file a winning Alberta landlord damage claim.
Before you start the process, it’s extremely important to prove the property’s condition before you rented it to tenants. If you haven’t completed a move-in/move-out inspection report with pictures, how will you prove the tenants damaged your property? Without a move-in/move-out inspection report, you could be hooped. To familiarize yourself with landlord responsibilities, including move-in/move-out inspection reports here is a link for Consumer Tips Information Booklet for Landlords.
Once you’ve established the damages exceed the cost of the security deposit AND you’ve
completed a move-in/move-out inspection report, you can begin the process.
Document everything
Take pictures or videos of everything. You will be showing these to a judge who doesn’t know your property and is not familiar with your situation. Ask yourself what he/she needs to see to understand the extent of the damage. For example, if there are holes in walls, floors, etc., use some form of comparison such as a ruler or your hand to indicate the scale.
Document the damage in writing and describe it as best you can. If you have damaged appliances, include;
· make, model, serial number
· place of purchase, date purchased, original price
· location of the item in your house
The message here is to be as thorough as possible so that the judge can easily see exactly what damage was done on the first read through.
