Alberta RECA Compliance Checklist for 2026

Compliance in Alberta real estate is not a once-a-year exercise. It is built into every transaction, every client interaction, and every piece of documentation you produce. The Real Estate Council of Alberta (RECA) sets the standard — and it has been raising the bar consistently.

This checklist is designed to give Alberta agents a practical reference for the key compliance obligations that apply to their practice in 2026. It is not exhaustive — every transaction has its own nuances — but it covers the areas where agents most commonly fall short.

Work through it at the start of each year, and use it as a reference when a transaction raises a question you are not sure about.

---

1. Licence and Registration

• Your licence is current and in good standing with RECA
• Your errors and omissions insurance is active and up to date
• Your brokerage registration is current
• You have completed any mandatory continuing education requirements for the current cycle
• Your contact information on file with RECA is accurate (address, phone, email)

Why it matters: RECA can audit your registration status at any time. An expired licence or lapsed E&O insurance can result in immediate suspension of your ability to trade.

---

2. Brokerage Policies and Supervision

• You have read and understand your brokerage's current policy manual
• You know your brokerage's policies on designated agency, common law agency, and transaction brokerage
• You understand your brokerage's procedures for handling trust funds
• You know who your supervising broker is and how to reach them when a compliance question arises
• You have reviewed any policy updates issued by your brokerage in the past 12 months

Why it matters: RECA holds brokerages — and individual agents — accountable for compliance with brokerage policies. "I didn't know" is not a defence if the policy was in place.

---

3. Client Identification and Verification

• You verify the identity of every client before providing services
• You use government-issued photo ID for individual clients
• For corporate clients, you obtain and record the required corporate documentation
• You complete the FINTRAC client identification forms for every applicable transaction
• You retain client identification records for the required period (minimum 5 years)
• You have a process for verifying identity when meeting clients remotely or virtually

Why it matters: Client identification is both a RECA requirement and a federal FINTRAC obligation. Failures in this area are among the most common findings in RECA audits.

---

4. Representation Agreements

• You have a signed written representation agreement before providing services to any buyer or seller
• Your representation agreements clearly state the type of representation being provided (designated agency, common law agency, or transaction brokerage)
• You explain the representation agreement to clients before they sign — not after
• You provide clients with a copy of the signed agreement
• You retain copies of all representation agreements for the required period

Why it matters: RECA requires written representation agreements. An unsigned or incomplete agreement leaves you without the legal foundation for your relationship with the client — and without protection if a dispute arises.

---

5. Disclosure Obligations

• You disclose your agency relationship to all parties at first contact
• You disclose any conflicts of interest in writing, promptly, before proceeding
• You disclose all material latent defects known to you
• You disclose any remuneration you receive from sources other than your client
• You provide the required disclosure when acting in a dual agency or transaction brokerage situation
• You document all disclosure conversations — not just the signed forms

Why it matters: Disclosure failures are the leading cause of complaints filed against Alberta agents. The obligation is not just to provide the form — it is to ensure the client genuinely understands what is being disclosed.

---

6. Offers and Competing Offers

• You present all offers to your seller client promptly, regardless of price or terms
• You follow your seller client's instructions regarding the handling of competing offers
• You do not disclose the existence or terms of one offer to another buyer without your seller client's written consent
• You document your seller client's instructions regarding competing offers
• You understand the rules around seller's right to disclose competing offers and follow them correctly

Why it matters: Competing offer situations are high-risk for compliance violations. The rules are specific, and the consequences of getting them wrong — for your client and for your licence — are serious.

---

7. Trust Funds

• All deposits are held in your brokerage's trust account — never in your personal account
• Deposits are deposited within the required timeframe
• You do not disburse trust funds without proper authorization
• You maintain accurate records of all trust fund transactions
• You report any trust fund discrepancies to your broker immediately

Why it matters: Trust fund violations are among the most serious compliance failures in Alberta real estate. RECA treats mishandling of trust funds as a fundamental breach of professional responsibility.

---

8. Record-Keeping

• You retain all transaction records for a minimum of 7 years
• Your records include all agreements, correspondence, disclosure documents, and identification records
• You retain records of all offers, including those that were not accepted
• Your records are organized and accessible — you could produce them quickly if RECA requested them
• You have a secure system for storing digital records

Why it matters: RECA can request transaction records at any time as part of an audit or complaint investigation. Incomplete or missing records are themselves a compliance violation, separate from whatever the underlying transaction issue may be.

---

9. Advertising and Marketing

• All advertising clearly identifies you and your brokerage
• You do not make false or misleading claims in any advertising
• Your social media profiles accurately reflect your current registration status and brokerage
• You have your broker's approval for any advertising that requires it under your brokerage's policies
• You do not advertise properties without the seller's authorization

Why it matters: RECA's advertising rules apply to all marketing channels, including social media. Agents who have not reviewed their online presence against RECA's advertising requirements are often surprised by what they find.

---

10. FINTRAC Obligations

• You complete a Large Cash Transaction Report for any cash transaction of $10,000 or more
• You file a Suspicious Transaction Report when you have reasonable grounds to suspect money laundering or terrorist financing
• You conduct ongoing monitoring of your business relationships with clients
• You have a written compliance program in place (required for agents who are not employees of a brokerage)
• You retain all FINTRAC records for a minimum of 5 years

Why it matters: FINTRAC compliance is a federal obligation enforced separately from RECA. Penalties for non-compliance can be severe, and FINTRAC conducts its own audits independently of RECA.

---

11. Professional Conduct

• You treat all clients, other registrants, and members of the public with fairness and respect
• You do not make representations you know to be false
• You maintain client confidentiality during and after the transaction
• You do not engage in any conduct that could bring the profession into disrepute
• You report any knowledge of another registrant's serious misconduct to RECA

Why it matters: RECA's Rules of Professional Conduct are not aspirational guidelines — they are enforceable standards. Violations can result in disciplinary action regardless of whether a client complaint was filed.

---

Using This Checklist

Print it, save it, or work through it digitally — the format does not matter. What matters is that you review it regularly and use it as a prompt to identify gaps in your practice before RECA does.

If a checklist item raises a question you are not sure how to answer, that is a signal to dig deeper — not to move on and hope for the best.

RuleCheck gives Alberta agents instant, cited answers to RECA compliance questions in the field. Try it free for one month.