What is a Real Property Report?
A Real Property Report or RPR is an overhead drawing of your property which shows the property lines and the location of all current improvements on the property, such as the house, garage, shed, deck, fences, etc.
This document is important because it shows that these improvements are included with the property and are within the property lines. It also enables the municipality to review the improvements to ensure that they comply with the municipal by-laws, and that the proper permits were pulled when everything was built. This is important because, for example, should the deck not meet the building code, it may need to be removed.
There are three parts to an RPR:
- The physical land survey drawing;
- The certificate from the Land Surveyor showing it was done to the Alberta Land Surveyor standards;
- A letter or stamp of municipal compliance from the town or city where the property is located. This confirms there are no outstanding development permits, and the property complies with the municipal by-laws.
You must have all three parts to complete your real estate transaction.
If there is no RPR or the RPR is not current and complete, then the purchase or sale of the property may be delayed or even terminated.
If you are selling your property, we highly recommend that you have an RPR prepared before you list your property for sale.
If you are buying a property, we highly recommend reviewing an RPR as part of your property inspection, and do not lift your conditions until you have seen the RPR with municipal compliance. If a seller is reluctant to provide an RPR with municipal compliance, it could mean there is a problem with an improvement to the property – for example, the deck was built without a permit.
There is no magic to understanding an RPR. If there is a house, a garage, a deck, a pergola with a hot tub, and a fence on the property – then you need to look at the RPR to ensure there is a house, a garage, a deck, a pergola with a hot tub, and a fence on the RPR. If something is missing, you need to ask for an update or a new RPR. If you have any questions about your RPR and the Municipal Compliance Letter, we encourage you to contact the Alberta Land Surveyor who prepared it or the municipality who issued the letter.
