What is the Residential Measurement Standard in Alberta?

It is the measurement method Alberta real estate licensees are required to use, set by the Real Estate Council of Alberta, so that the size on one listing means the same as the size on another. It defines what counts as measurable area and how it is measured for each property type.

Does listed square footage in Calgary include the basement?

For detached, semi-detached and row homes, no - the measured area is above grade, and a walkout basement is still below grade. Developed lower level space is described separately in the listing rather than added to the headline size.

Why is my condo smaller than the builder brochure said?

Apartment-style condos are measured to interior wall surfaces under the Alberta standard, while developer brochures often used a different method that produced a larger figure. Both numbers can be honest measurements of different things, which is why comparing a brochure to a listing rarely works.

Calgary Answers · Buying · Reading the Numbers

Is the Square Footageon the listing accurate?

Usually yes — but it measures something narrower than buyers assume, and it is not the same number the builder or the City used.

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Alberta measures to one standard

Alberta REALTORS® measure residential property to the Residential Measurement Standard set by the Real Estate Council of Alberta, so that a listing in Calgary and a listing three hours away mean the same thing by a given size. It is one of the more useful pieces of consumer protection in Alberta real estate, and most buyers have never heard of it.

What it counts, and what it leaves out

Above grade only, for detached, semi-detached and row homes. A developed basement — however finished, however much you will live in it — is not in the headline figure. It gets described elsewhere in the listing.
A walkout is still below grade. The standard cares about grade, not about how the space feels from inside.
Detached homes are measured to the outside of the walls, so wall thickness is inside the number and the space you can actually furnish is smaller.
Apartment-style condos are measured to interior surfaces. This is why a condo's listed size is often smaller than the original developer brochure, which frequently measured differently. Nothing has shrunk.

Two homes listed at the same size can hand you very different amounts of usable space — one measured to the outside of its walls, one with a fully developed lower level the number never mentions.

How to check before it costs you

Compare like with like: above grade against above grade, then developed lower level separately.
Read the floor plan and room dimensions, not just the headline figure. Layout decides usable space more often than area does.
The City assessment record, the builder brochure and the MLS® measurement can all differ legitimately, because they measure different things. A discrepancy is a question, not an accusation.
If exact size matters — a specific piece of furniture, or a per-foot comparison that hinges on it — measure it yourself at the inspection.

Is the Square Footageon the listing accurate?

Alberta measures to one standard

What it counts, and what it leaves out

How to check before it costs you

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