Understanding Real Property Reports in Calgary

If you're thinking of selling your home in the future, you must understand the importance of a Real Property Report.

Compliant Real Property Report

A Real Property Report, or RPR for short, is a land survey of your home that shows everything on your property and all permanent structures. Prior to selling your house, you need to make sure that your RPR is up to date and compliant. That means everything on your property must be according to the bylaws, and the city approves it.

Every time you add any permanent structure like a fence, garage, deck or a pergola attached to your home, it doesn’t matter if it’s big or small; if it is non-movable, you have to update your RPR.

Before you start to build any permanent structure, look into if you need a development permit from the city, especially for building garages and decks. Present your plan to the city Planning Department and they will look it over to ensure that it follows the bylaws. Upon the approval of your permit, you can then proceed with your design, but you have to ensure that you adhere to it.

Put every structure in the correct spot with the right dimensions. If there are any inconsistencies with your permit and a part of the new structure encroaches into city property or is built too large, you will have an issue with your RPR.

When that happens, you could run into either needing an encroachment agreement or a relaxation permit. An encroachment is loosely defined as being any portion of a building, fence, driveway, retaining wall or other structure which extends onto City property, whereas a relaxation permit is needed when any part of a building, fence, driveway, retaining wall or other structure does not meet city bylaws.

Both of these issues take time to process and could take anywhere from 4-12+ weeks to become finalized, with some even taking up to 4 months! These issues can definitely cause complications at closing, so be proactive and finalize your RPR as soon as possible.

Real Property Report Cost in Calgary

There are two ways to secure an RPR. You can either update what you currently have or get a brand new one.

To update your RPR, you can go to the survey company that you originally went through. Normally it costs around $500 - $700+, including a compliance stamp. The City of Calgary Compliance stamp alone is currently priced at $199.

The entire process can be done online now, from ordering your new or updated RPR through the surveying company to submitting your completed RPR for compliance stamp through your city Planning Department. Just submit all the requirements online, and you can expect your digital stamp if all is well.

If you don't have an RPR or lost your copy, you can call the lawyer you closed your home with. They might have a copy on file, depending on how long ago it was, because that has to be reviewed when you confirm your deal.

You can also call the Planning Department of the city you live in to see if they have one on file. Simply ask what the survey company was at the bottom of the document, then contact the said company.

If you cannot track down your old RPR to find out what surveying company completed it, you will need to order a new one. A new RPR with a compliance stamp can range in cost from $700 - $1200+. The actual price depends on the size of your property, where your property is located and if any issues arise.

Getting a Real Property Report in Calgary

You need three things to get a completed RPR. You need to have a survey, have it looked at by the city to make sure it follows the bylaws, and then get a compliance stamp.

Most survey companies offer a service where they can take your RPR to the city for an additional fee; this can save you the hassle of needing to figure out this process yourself!

Things to Look for on an RPR

When looking at RPRs, check to see that everything on the survey is still on the property or if there are things that need to be added or removed.

Depending on the survey company you use, structures on your property may be coloured, and encroachments or issues may appear in highlighted boxes or regular text. Most survey companies identify fences using X’s or small circles. You can also see measurements of the different areas around the house.

Surveying companies will make notes on your RPR for any encroachments. For example, if a planter encroaches into the overland drainage right of way or covers the concrete swale, they will make a note of this and state by how much it encroaches. This is something that you don't want to cover with a fixed structure as it might cause a problem for the drainage department of the city.

With encroachments, you typically have two options; you can either remove the structure or apply for an encroachment agreement. However, there are times when the only option is to remove the structure in order for your RPR to be compliant.

If your RPR is flagged with many encroachments, don't panic! The Encroachment Department will let you know what you need to do to get your RPR compliant.

Reach out to us if you have any questions. You can email us at info@chamberlaingroup.ca or give us a call at 587-316-5400.