A story in the Aug. 21 edition of the Olds Albertan headlined Landlords, tenants should hammer out rules requires clarification.
Commercial landlords can refuse space, based on the type of business proposing to operate in the premises. However, they cannot refuse space on the basis that the tenant is of a particular race, religion, age, gender, etc.
Although human rights legislation applies to some aspects of the commercial leasing world, commercial landlords tend to have more latitude than residential landlords in choosing tenants.
For instance, they can deny rental space if the type of business to be operated on the premises does not fit with the building’s purpose or if it is prohibited under a restrictive covenant or so-called “exclusive use” clause in favour of the tenant.
However, neither residential or commercial landlords can deny rental space to a prospective tenant solely because they have a disability or medical condition, or for any other prohibited ground such as race, religion or sexual orientation.
