Calgary AB – The Alberta Real Estate Association (AREA) is aware of an article in the November 30th issue of the Edmonton Journal speaking to fines levied by the Real Estate Council of Alberta (RECA) for misrepresenting the size of condominiums in real estate listings, and is taking steps, along with its ten member boards, to look at the issue of residential property measurement.
“The issue of residential property measurements, including condominium, is complex,” says Ian Burns, AREA’s Chief Executive Officer “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.”
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.
Steps are being taken to clarify the measurement rules across the province, says Burns. “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.”
AREA and the ten local boards in Alberta have collaborated successfully on similar complex projects core to the real estate industry, including the development and implementation of provincial rules both for REALTOR® practice and for MLS® System listings.
The Alberta Real Estate Association (AREA) represents more than 10,000 REALTORS® and 10 real estate boards province-wide. AREA’s vision is to provide world-class leadership that positively shapes the Alberta real estate profession, enhances member professionalism, and reinforces the critical value REALTORS® deliver to both buyers and sellers.