Section 01
Information minimisation as the default
Decide what genuinely has to be published for a buyer to make a decision, and publish only that. A safe room, a vault, a server or alarm panel, a wine cellar's contents, a gallery wall, a child's bedroom identified as such, staff quarters and the location of exterior access points do not need to appear in marketing.
The same principle applies to written material: the disclosure package can be released in stages, with sensitive documents provided to qualified parties under a confidentiality expectation rather than attached to a public listing.
Section 02
Photography and video exclusions, written before the shoot
Give the photographer a written exclusion list: rooms not to be shot, angles that reveal security hardware, aerial coverage that maps the grounds or the neighbours, art and collections, personal photographs, documents on desks, calendars and school materials, vehicles and plates, and any smart-home display showing occupancy patterns.
Decide separately whether a floor plan is published in full or in a reduced form. A complete plan is a navigation aid for a buyer and for anyone else who obtains it.
Section 03
Personal items, documents and valuables
Before the first showing, remove or secure jewellery, watches, cash, firearms and their documentation, prescription medication, passports and identity documents, financial statements, chequebooks, spare keys and access cards, and small high-value objects. Where items cannot be moved, they belong behind a lock rather than behind a note.
Prescription medication and identity documents are the two categories most often overlooked and among the most consequential to lose.
Section 04
Access scheduling and attendance
Set the standard in writing: appointment windows with confirmation, minimum notice, whether showings are accompanied by the listing side, how many people may attend, whether children attend, and whether the seller, staff or pets are present. Occupied homes with staff need the protocol shared with the household, not only with the brokerage.
Record every attendance: date, time, brokerage, licensee name and contact, the number of attendees and the arrival and departure times. A log is the difference between an incident that can be investigated and one that cannot.
Section 05
Qualification questions before the door opens
Ask what the listing brokerage requires before booking: representation status and licensee verification, identity confirmation, evidence of capacity appropriate to the property, and how unrepresented enquiries are handled. Ask what is done differently for a vacant property.
Qualification is also privacy protection, because it is the step that determines who receives the property's detail in the first place.
Section 06
Cameras, alarms and smart-home systems
Recording devices inside a home during showings raise privacy obligations, and audio recording is the more sensitive category. Disclose the presence of recording devices, decide deliberately whether interior cameras remain active during showings, and take advice where the situation is not clear-cut.
Before possession, plan the reset: alarm codes, smart locks, garage remotes, camera accounts, network passwords, hub accounts, voice assistants, connected appliances and any account tied to the address. A house handed over with live accounts is handed over with live access.
Personal information handling in Alberta is governed by provincial privacy legislation; where recording is contemplated, get advice rather than assuming consent.
Section 07
Keys, codes and lockbox discipline
Prefer an electronic lockbox with an auditable access record over a mechanical one. Track every physical key issued, to whom and when returned. Change codes at the start of the listing, after any staff or contractor change, and again at possession.
Contractors, stagers, photographers and cleaners are part of the access population and should be scheduled and logged with the same discipline as showings.
Section 08
Document security and wire-fraud caution
Transaction documents contain identity and financial detail and are a target. Use the brokerage's and lawyer's secure document channels rather than ordinary email attachments, be alert to lookalike domains and to any message that changes previously agreed instructions, and treat urgency as a warning sign rather than a reason to hurry.
Never act on payment or trust-account instructions received by email. Verify them by telephoning your lawyer's office on a number you already hold, and confirm receipt afterwards. Real estate closings are a recurring target of redirection fraud, and the funds are frequently unrecoverable.
Section 09
Incident escalation and post-showing routine
Agree in advance who is called, in what order, if something is missing, a door is left unsecured, a device is disturbed or an unscheduled visitor attends: brokerage, seller, police where appropriate, insurer, alarm provider.
After each showing, walk the property: doors and windows, alarm state, gate and garage, valuables in place, devices as left, and anything moved. Note it in the log the same day, while recollection is accurate.
Section 10
What this standard cannot do
A protocol reduces exposure and improves the record. It does not make a property secure, it does not guarantee that nothing will be taken or disclosed, and no product or service should be sold on that basis.
Insurance is a separate conversation: tell your insurer the property is listed and being shown, ask how vacancy affects coverage, and ask what documentation a claim would require.