When comparing an older building with a new build in Calgary, renters may wonder whether the building’s age affects Alberta’s rent-increase rules. Alberta places no cap on how much a landlord can raise the rent, in a 2013 tower or a 1960s walk-up alike, so building age changes what a unit costs, but not what the law lets a landlord charge for it.
Does building age change what a landlord can charge in Calgary?
No. Alberta’s Residential Tenancies Act does not set a maximum percentage or dollar amount for a rent increase, in any building, regardless of when it was built or first occupied. That is the single biggest difference between Calgary and a province like Ontario, where a building’s first occupancy date decides whether annual increases are capped. In Alberta, the cap simply does not exist, for old stock or new.
What Alberta regulates instead is process, not price: how much notice a landlord must give, and how often an increase can happen. The Community Legal Education Association of Alberta (CPLEA) confirms landlords must give tenants on a monthly periodic tenancy at least three full tenancy months’ written notice of an increase, and cannot raise the rent again until 365 days have passed since the tenant moved in or since the last increase, whichever is later.
What actually differs between an older Calgary rental and a new build?
If price protection is not the difference, condition and cost structure are. A newer building may offer in-suite laundry, a builder’s warranty, tighter building envelopes and lower heating losses, or amenities like a gym or a parcel room, though features vary by property. An older building may offer a larger unit for the same asking rent, established landscaping, or a walkable, already-built-out neighbourhood, and sometimes has utilities folded into the rent instead of separately metered, but renters should confirm features for each property.
Neither factor is legally protected in Alberta the way it would be in Ontario. A brand-new Calgary tower is not exempt from anything, because there is nothing to be exempt from; an older Calgary walk-up is not shielded from a steep increase either, once the 365-day and notice rules are satisfied.
Two Calgary examples
Keynote Two in East Village, completed in 2013 according to the Skyscraper Center’s building database, is a good example of the new-build case: taller, amenity-heavy, and priced for its condition rather than its age. Bankview 1737 Apartments, on 26 Avenue SW in Bankview, sits among the neighbourhood’s characteristic four-storey walk-ups, a building type the Calgary Real Estate Board’s community profile dates to the 1960s. Both are generally subject to the same provincial rent-increase rules described above; what actually separates their price is unit size, finish and amenities, not a legal ceiling attached to one and not the other.
Calgary rent by building type this month
Calgary’s asking rents eased again this month. The rent report provides a citywide average and does not break out figures by building age. According to liv.rent’s September 2026 Calgary and Edmonton rent report, Calgary’s average unfurnished one-bedroom asking rent fell 5.3% year over year to $1,442, down from $1,465 in August 2026. The average furnished one-bedroom fell further, down 13.5% year over year to $1,539, down from $1,576 in August.
| Factor | Older building | New build |
| Rent at move-in (turnover) | Set by the market, no cap | Set by the market, no cap |
| Increase during an existing tenancy | No legal ceiling; 3 tenancy months’ written notice, once per 365 days | Identical rules; no new-build exemption exists in Alberta |
| Utilities | Often partly included; varies by lease | Usually separately metered; varies by lease |
| What the extra cost buys | Larger footprint, established location | Efficiency, in-suite amenities, builder’s warranty |
What Alberta’s notice rules mean for tenants in either type of building
Because there is no rent-increase cap, the notice and timing rules are the only real guardrails a Calgary tenant has, in a new tower or an old walk-up. For a monthly periodic tenancy, a landlord must deliver written notice at least three full tenancy months before the increase takes effect, and cannot raise it again inside 365 days of the tenant’s move-in date or the last increase, per CPLEA’s guide to rent increase notices. Rent cannot be increased during a fixed-term tenancy. If the parties enter a new agreement after the fixed term ends, the rent may change, provided at least 365 days have passed since the tenancy began or the last increase, whichever is later.
CPLEA also notes that Alberta’s common law does not allow a landlord to effectively evict a tenant through an unfairly large rent increase, sometimes called economic eviction, and a notice used that way can be challenged. None of this changes with the building’s age. A tenant in a 2013 tower and a tenant in a 1960s walk-up read the exact same notice requirements.
So which is actually worth paying more for in Calgary?
Since Alberta does not tie any legal protection to a building’s age, the honest answer is that paying more for a new build may provide newer finishes, modern amenities, or more predictable maintenance, depending on the property. Paying less for an older building buys space and location, often a larger unit in an established, walkable neighbourhood, with the same notice and 365-day protections a brand-new tower carries. Renters who prioritize predictable maintenance and efficiency should lean newer; renters who prioritize square footage and a lower asking rent should not assume an older building is a legal or financial risk simply because of its age. Landlords weighing a purchase should note the same thing works in reverse: a new build does not buy extra pricing freedom in Alberta, because there was never a cap to be exempt from.
Related reading
For the notice and increase rules covered above in more detail, see liv.rent’s FAQ on landlord and tenant responsibilities in Alberta and FAQ on rent deposits in Alberta. Landlords comparing an older building to a new-build purchase can also read the complete liv.rent user guide for landlords and property managers, and renters weighing the same choice can use liv.rent’s renter’s guide to screen listings, verify a landlord and sign digitally, whichever building type they choose.
Is a new-build apartment in Calgary exempt from any rent rules an older building is not?
No. Alberta applies the same notice and 365-day rules to every rental, regardless of when it was built or first occupied. There is no age-based exemption, because there is no cap to be exempt from in the first place.
How much notice does a Calgary landlord have to give before raising rent?
For a monthly periodic tenancy, at least three full tenancy months’ written notice, according to the Community Legal Education Association of Alberta. Rent cannot be increased during a fixed-term tenancy; if the parties enter a new agreement after the term ends, the rent may change, provided at least 365 days have passed since the tenancy began or the last increase, whichever is later.
Can a Calgary landlord raise the rent every year without limit?
Alberta does not set a maximum percentage or dollar amount for a rent increase, but timing and notice requirements still apply: an increase can only happen once every 365 days since the tenant moved in or the last increase, and only with the required written notice.
Why does an older Calgary building sometimes rent for less than a new build?
Mostly condition and amenities, not legal protection, and these vary by property. A new build may offer in-suite laundry, better insulation or a builder’s warranty; an older building may offer more square footage for the price or an established location.
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