The Alberta Real Estate Association (AREA) says it is “taking steps… to look at the issue of residential property measurement.”
The move came after an Edmonton Journal article reported on fines levied on real estate salespeople by the Real Estate Council of Alberta for misrepresenting the size of condominiums in real estate listings.
“The issue of residential property measurements, including condominium, is complex,” says Ian Burns, AREA’s CEO. “As the article notes, even a registered size for a property is not standardized across the industry. Registered sizes sometimes include non-living areas like balconies and parking stalls, and in other instances do not.”
AREA says that currently in Alberta, there is no province wide regulation or standard of measurement. Local real estate boards enforce individual sets of rules with regard to measurements posted on their MLS systems and hold members accountable for errors.
Burns says steps are being taken to clarify the measurement rules across the province.
“AREA will be working with local boards to look at the existing rules and agree on the implementation and enforcement of a provincial standard of measurement for residential properties, including condominiums, for the benefit of all consumers.”
