Title insurance or a Real Property Report? What Edmonton buyers and sellers are really trading

On most detached and duplex sales in Edmonton, the standard Alberta purchase contract asks the seller to hand over a Real Property Report with evidence of municipal compliance. More and more often, the seller does not have a current one and offers something else: they will pay for the buyer's title insurance, commonly up to about $350, if the buyer agrees to accept that in place of the RPR. It is a reasonable trade in many cases. It is not the same protection, and the difference matters most on exactly the homes where the question comes up.

What a Real Property Report is

A Real Property Report is a legal document prepared by an Alberta Land Surveyor. It shows the boundaries of the lot and where the house, garage, decks, sheds and fences sit relative to those boundaries, along with registered easements and rights-of-way. If the garage is six inches over a utility right-of-way, or the neighbour's fence is a metre onto your yard, the RPR is where you find out.

The RPR on its own says where things are, not whether they are allowed to be there. That second step is the compliance certificate. The City of Edmonton reviews the RPR against the zoning bylaw and stamps it, or notes what does not conform. The City's application form lists regular service at ten business days and an express option at three business days for an extra fee. The fee itself is set each year in the City's Planning and Development fee schedule.

An RPR does not expire, but it goes out of date the moment something is added. A new deck, fence, shed or hot tub pad that is not on the drawing means the RPR no longer shows the current improvements, which is what the contract asks for. Updating an existing RPR through the surveyor who prepared it is usually cheaper than a new one. Surveyors price by lot size, number of structures and how easily the boundary information can be found, so get a quote.

What title insurance is

Title insurance is a one-time insurance policy, arranged through the buyer's lawyer, that pays for certain losses if a problem with the title or the property surfaces later. Depending on the policy, that can include a municipal order to remove a structure that was built without a permit or breaks a setback, an unregistered easement, or title fraud. A standard residential owner's policy costs a few hundred dollars, which is why sellers reach for it: it is quicker and cheaper than a new RPR and compliance review, and it closes the gap without delaying possession.

What title insurance does not do

This is the part buyers tend to skip.

• It does not tell you anything. An RPR shows you what is on the lot before you own it. Title insurance pays out, if the loss is covered, after you find a problem.
• It excludes what you already know. Policies typically exclude risks the buyer knew about and did not disclose to the insurer, risks the owner created or accepted, and anything that arises after the policy date. If an old RPR in the file shows the garage is over the line, the policy will not cover that garage.
• It covers what the policy says it covers. Coverage and exclusions vary between insurers and between owner and lender policies. If your lender requires title insurance, that policy protects the lender, not you, unless an owner's policy is included. Ask your lawyer which one you are getting.
• It does not fix the problem. It compensates for a covered loss. A buyer who later wants to add a garage suite or sell to a buyer who insists on an RPR will still need the survey.

When to accept title insurance, and when to ask for the RPR

Title insurance in place of the RPR is usually a sensible trade when:

• The house and garage are original, there are no additions, and the yard has not changed in years.
• The seller has an older RPR with compliance and the only change is something removed, not added.
• You are buying for the lot and plan to rebuild.

Ask for a current RPR with compliance, or make your offer conditional on one, when:

• There is a newer garage, addition, deck, basement suite or garden suite, especially if the seller cannot show a permit.
• The lot is irregular, on a corner, backs onto a lane or a utility right-of-way, or the fences do not look like they follow the property line.
• You plan to add a structure yourself, or the home is an infill where the setbacks are tight.

The seller can also do both: order an RPR early, before listing, and offer title insurance only if the City's compliance review comes back late. A seller who has the RPR with compliance in hand when the home goes on the market removes one of the most common reasons a closing gets pushed.

How it is handled in the contract

Swapping the RPR for title insurance is a change to the standard contract, not a handshake. The offer has to say that the seller will not provide the RPR and compliance, that the seller will pay for the buyer's title insurance up to a stated amount as a credit on closing, and how the seller's warranties about the structures are affected. If a specific structure has no permit and the buyer is accepting it as is, that should be written down too, and the buyer should know the policy will not cover it. The wording belongs with your lawyer, and we flag it as soon as we see a property will not have a current RPR.

If you are buying or selling a house in Edmonton and the RPR question has come up, send us the address. We will tell you what we would ask for and why.

Sources

• Alberta Land Surveyors' Association, Real Property Reports: alsa.ab.ca
• City of Edmonton, Compliance Certificate Application Form (service times): edmonton.ca
• City of Edmonton, Compliance certificates for residential and commercial properties: edmonton.ca
• Ben Throndson, Reynolds Mirth Richards & Farmer, "Title Insurance Or Real Property Report: A Purchaser's Dilemma", August 14, 2024: mondaq.com
• Duncan Craig LLP, "Real Property Report vs. Title Insurance in Alberta Residential Real Estate", October 20, 2025: dcllp.com
• AREA, "What to consider about Real Property Reports": albertarealtor.ca