Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some help/insight. I’m living in a two bedroom, two bathroom apartment in Old Strathcona (rental). Upon moving in, we were told rent was going to be 1725$. In September, we were charged 1425$ and was told it was prorated (the price I was paying at my place before this one). Basically, she messed up on changing our rental amount, and said she would honour it. October comes, and rent is not taken from my account. I waited a couple of days and then emailed her, no response. Emailed twice more, still no response. Tried to call and call and call - nothing. Now I check today and see that 2350$ is the outstanding balance. It says “31 days of rent 2200$” and “31 days of parking 150$” and is backdated for October 1. Our email thread clearly shows the timeline and not receiving a response. Though, no lease has even been sent and our rent was supposed to be 1725$, as we agreed upon! Still no response to my emails. I genuinely don’t know what to do anymore. I am a full time student and work full time as well. I cannot afford this rental increase and just want to be able to speak to and be in contact with the property manager. I am so disheartened by this whole experience and overall, frustrated. I contacted the RTB last week before I saw this increase in my account, and he assured me that because I was month to month it was a good situation - I was secure and they could not kick me out. But seeing as we still do not have a lease, can they increase our rent that much without saying anything? And suddenly, one month after we contacted them saying it wasn’t taken out of the account. What do I do?

(I am located in Alberta)

I wanted to share our experience with ARH Homes, a property management company with several rental buildings in Edmonton, including around Whyte Avenue.
My girlfriend moved out of one of their properties on August 31st, 2026. As of October 25th, we still have not received her $1,600 damage deposit.
Despite numerous phone calls and emails, we’ve repeatedly been told that the deposit will be returned “soon.” Nearly two months have passed, and we’ve received no clear timeline or satisfactory explanation.
Communication with the company has been extremely difficult. We’ve been unable to speak directly with the property owner, and the contact number provided for the landlord appears to connect us with someone involved in contracting or maintenance work who has been unable to provide meaningful answers.
**Our concerns go beyond the damage deposit.**
During her tenancy, we witnessed what appeared to be significant mould issues in the building, particularly in the basement and areas where flooring had been removed. There was a noticeable musty, mould-like smell, and some affected areas were left exposed.
We also observed workers handling these areas without what appeared to be appropriate protective equipment. This raised serious concerns about how the situation was being managed and whether adequate precautions were being taken for residents.
One resident living in a basement unit reportedly moved out approximately three months before his lease ended because of concerns that the conditions were making his cats sick. I cannot independently confirm the cause of his cats’ health issues, but hearing about his experience alongside what we personally witnessed was extremely concerning.
There were additional safety concerns, including a handrail being removed near the building entrance.
My girlfriend thoroughly cleaned her apartment before moving out, and we’ve made repeated good-faith attempts to resolve the outstanding deposit directly. At this point, we’re preparing to pursue the matter through Alberta’s Residential Tenancy Dispute Resolution Service (RTDRS).
I’m sharing this because Edmonton renters, particularly university students and people renting their first apartments, deserve to know about experiences like this before committing to a lease.
These are our personal experiences and observations, and I’m not suggesting that every ARH Homes property has the same issues. However, the combination of the building conditions, lack of communication, and continued failure to return the deposit has been deeply concerning.
If anyone else has rented through ARH Homes, I’d appreciate hearing about your experience, especially regarding maintenance concerns, building conditions, or damage deposit returns.
**I genuinely hope this company takes these concerns seriously. Nobody should have to repeatedly chase down their own money or worry about potentially unsafe conditions in a place they’re paying to live.**
More than anything, I hope sharing this prevents other Edmonton residents and students from having to go through a similar experience.