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Real Estate Law / Title Transfers

Title Transfer Lawyer
in Alberta.

Changing whose name is on a title looks simple, and it usually is not. Dower rights, mortgage terms, and tax consequences all sit underneath a request to add a spouse or gift a property to a child. Our lawyers complete transfers at Alberta Land Titles with those questions answered first, so the transfer solves a problem instead of creating one.

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Transfers we complete

The common files: adding or removing a spouse after a marriage or separation, transfers between family members, gifts of property to children, transfers out of estates, and transfers between people and their companies. Each has its own formalities, from dower consents and affidavits to lender approval where a mortgage stays on title.

Alberta has no land transfer tax, which keeps family transfers inexpensive to register. A transfer can still be a taxable event for income tax, though. If a gift or a corporate transfer raises capital gains or GST questions, we flag it and bring your accountant in before anything gets signed. The registration is the easy part. Getting the order of operations right is where we earn our fee.

What this desk handles

  • Spousal transfers for marriage, separation, and divorce
  • Gifts and family transfers
  • Estate transmissions and executor transfers
  • Transfers to and from companies and trusts
  • Dower Act consents and acknowledgments
  • Lender consent and mortgage coordination
  • Survivorship applications on joint tenancy

Where we act

Our lawyers handle title transfers files across Alberta from our Calgary office, including Calgary, Airdrie, Cochrane, Okotoks, Chestermere, Edmonton, and everywhere between. Alberta has one Land Titles system, so the closing works the same wherever the property sits. Signing happens at our office, by video where permitted, or with a local commissioner near you.

Common questions

Title Transfers: frequently asked questions

  • There is no land transfer tax in Alberta. A transfer involves our flat legal fee plus registration fees at Land Titles based on the property value. We quote the full amount before we start, and if the transfer has tax consequences beyond the registration, we tell you before you sign.

  • Usually yes, but the mortgage terms almost always require the lender’s consent, and your spouse may need to join the mortgage covenant. We get the consent, prepare the transfer and dower documents, and register the change without disturbing your financing.

  • A gift of real estate counts as a sale at market value for tax purposes even though no money changes hands, and it can affect the parent’s principal residence position and estate plan. We document the gift properly and make sure the tax questions get answered by the right advisor before we register anything.

Book a consultation

Talk to one of our lawyers about your title transfers file.

Send us the details of what you are working on and we will follow up within one business day. Closing inside seven days? Please call us directly.

Call the firm
587-327-7314
Office hours
Monday to Saturday, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM Mountain Time
Signings outside these hours by arrangement.

Book a consultation

One business day response. For closings inside seven days, please call us directly.

One business day response. Closing inside seven days? Call us.

Calgary · Alberta

Opening a title transfers file?

Send us the details and we will respond within one business day, with a flat quote on standard matters.