How to verify the legitimacy of a landlord or employer?

When a person arrives in a new city, one of the first challenges in life is finding housing and work. In Calgary, as in other large Canadian cities, there are tens of thousands of apartments for rent and hundreds of thousands of job openings. At the same time, unscrupulous landlords and fraudulent employers take advantage of the high demand to deceive newcomers. To avoid financial losses and psychological discomfort, it is important to know the verification algorithms: how to make sure that the owner of the apartment really has the right to rent it out, and that the employer can provide the conditions they claim to offer.

Immediately after meeting a potential landlord or recruiter, start gathering information. In the first case, ask for the exact address of the apartment, its size, the terms of the contract, the amount of the deposit, and the rent. In the second case, ask for the name of the company, its field of activity, working conditions, pay, and contact details. Then proceed to an independent check: use the official websites of city and provincial authorities, paid databases, and free platforms.

Checking the landlord

Landlord registry

To check the landlord, the City of Calgary web portal is useful, as it contains a registry of registered landlords. The service allows you to make sure that the property owner is authorized to rent it out. If the owner requires a deposit but is not listed in the registry, this is a clear warning sign.

Alberta Land Titles

It is worth checking the cadastral records on the Alberta Land Titles website, where you can see whether the person or company listed is actually the owner of the land or house.

Condominium manager

Another way to confirm the legitimacy of the owner is to contact the local condominium manager (property manager). Many apartment buildings in Calgary have centralized management services that maintain a list of apartments and landlords.

Ad history

After verifying ownership, it is recommended to check the ad history on Kijiji, Craigslist, and Facebook Marketplace. If the apartment has been advertised several times a month under different pretexts, you may suspect a fraudulent scheme.

Employer verification

Official website

Verifying the legitimacy of an employer begins with the company's official website — if it is missing, outdated, or does not contain an official address, phone number, and federal registration number (Business Number from CRA), you should be wary.

Business registries

The next step is to search for the company name in the Alberta Government Registry or through the Canada Business Registries portal.

Employee reviews

It is useful to check ratings and reviews on Glassdoor and Indeed. Additionally, look for mentions of the company on local forums, such as Reddit /r/Calgary.

Phone call

After gathering information, call the company's hotline number listed on its website and ask to be connected to the human resources department.

Face-to-face meeting and documents

Meeting in a public place

Arrange a face-to-face or video meeting in a public place. Pay attention to the presence of an office or apartment at the stated location.

Lease agreement

When signing a lease agreement, request an official paper document with the seal of the owner or company. Audit calculations of utility payments must be clearly specified in an additional agreement or RID form from RTDRS.

Employment contract

The employment contract must specify the working conditions, pay rates, payment terms, and full company details.

Further verification

Even after signing the contract, continue to verify legitimacy through business registries and tax authorities. In Alberta, all landlords of small dwellings (up to three apartments) must register with Calgary Municipal Licensing and Standards.

Conclusion

Verifying the legitimacy of a landlord or employer in Calgary requires:

1. Systematic information gathering.

2. Use of official registries.

3. Analysis of reviews on professional and social networks.

4. Face-to-face meetings with document verification.

Combining all these efforts allows you to minimize risks and find a reliable partner for living or working in a new city.