Safer Spaces – Information for certified professionals

Tenants can end a residential tenancy agreement without financial penalty if they get a Certificate Confirming Grounds to Terminate Tenancy, and use it to give notice to their landlord.

To get a certificate, tenants can either submit an existing court order, or a signed statement from an authorized person declaring the tenant is a victim of domestic violence.

This statement must be one of the following:

• signed Certified Professional Statement form, or
• signed written statement

See the Guidelines for professionals: Understanding domestic violence below.

Authorized persons

Persons authorized to provide a statement under the Residential Tenancies Act include regulated members of the:

• College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta
• College and Association of Registered Nurses of Alberta,
• Alberta College of Social Workers,
• College of Alberta Psychologists, or
• College of Registered Psychiatric Nurses of Alberta

The Act also authorizes the following persons:

• a police officer or a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
• an individual employed and authorized by an agency or organization that provides:
  • accommodation in an emergency
  • transitional shelter because of homelessness or abuse
  • support initiatives for victims of crime

Certified Professional Statement

If you’re authorized under the Act to provide a statement, a tenant may ask you to sign a form which they will provide to you.

Download a Certified Professional Statement form

Written statement

Instead of signing a Certified Professional Statement form, you may choose to write your own statement for a victim of domestic violence.

Your statement must include the following declarations:

• As an authorized professional under the Act, I can provide a written statement.
• I have assessed the information provided by the client and have determined he/she is a victim of domestic violence as outlined under the definitions in the Guidelines for Professionals: Understanding Domestic Violence.
• I affirm that the client has reported a risk to the safety of their self, the client’s dependent child or a protected adult who lives with the client if the tenancy continues.

The statement should also include your printed name, your signature and the date.

Guidelines for professionals: Understanding domestic violence

What does domestic violence look like?

Domestic violence may include all of the following behaviours: physical abuse, psychological abuse, criminal harassment/stalking, forced confinement, verbal abuse, sexual abuse, financial abuse, spiritual abuse, or any injury or property damage that intimidates or causes harm to a person.

Physical Abuse

• pushed, shoved or kicked
• slapped or bitten
• strangled
• hit or punched
• locked out or deny access to the home
• denied help when ill, injured or pregnant
• weapon or objects used against the individual
• by physical force, not being allowed to leave
• abandoned in a dangerous situation

Emotional and Psychological Abuse

• threatened to harm the individual, their family or pets
• beliefs, race, heritage, class, religion, or sexual orientation ridiculed
• manipulated with lies and contradictions
• being convinced they are to blame for the abuse
• stalked

Sexual Abuse

• forced to have sex or watch sexual acts
• forced to perform sexual acts or have sexual acts performed on them
• forced to have sex after a physical assault, when they are ill or as a condition of the relationship

Economic Abuse

• denied access to bank accounts, credit cards or vehicle
• partner controls all of the finances
• prevented from getting or keeping a job or from going to school
• limits access to health, prescription or dental insurance

Domestic violence is committed by:

• a spouse or partner
• a current or past interdependent adult partner
• a person they are or have dated
• a person that has care and custody over them pursuant to an order of a court
• the biological or adoptive parent of one or more children with that person, regardless of their marital status
• a person related by blood, marriage or adoption

For more information

See FAQs – Professional Authorized Statement.