Last week, we outlined amendments to the provincially harmonized rules approved by all 10 Alberta boards. These rules are included under Parts II and III of the CREB^® Rules. 

The harmonized rules are included in Parts II and III of the CREB^® Rules and will be updated on April 2, 2026. Enforcement of the new rules begins July 1, 2026.

In summary

The changes may affect your business practices in the following ways: 

• “Coming Soon” signage is now included in time-sensitive marketing and must be removed once the listing is added to the MLS^® System.

• In a multiple-offer situation, confirm the seller’s instructions in writing. 

• Photographs taken by a third party are protected by intellectual property laws. Ensure you have a written ownership transfer agreement with your photographer for each property you list. This helps protects you from potential liability when photographs are uploaded to the MLS^® System and used beyond. CREB^® will provide an ownership transfer form for members prior to the July 1, 2026, effective date.

• Do not remove listing data, including photographs, before changing the status to pending, sold, expired or terminated. This information is vital to the property’s history. 

Specific changes to the rules can be found here.

Read last week's CREB^®Talk for more details. 

For questions about the amendments and how they affect your practice, contact our Member Practice team at advice@creb.ca.