Who does the work
The right credential for the problem.
A property-care attendant checks your house and does the non-trade work. When something needs a licence, a licensed professional does it — and we make sure they get there, get in, and get it documented.
Alberta treats plumbing, gasfitting, electrical and refrigeration as compulsory certification trades. Work in those trades may only be performed by a certified journeyperson, or by a registered apprentice under appropriate supervision. That is legislation, not a service policy.
Plenty of property-care companies are vague about this, because being vague is easier than explaining where the line falls. The result is an attendant standing in an empty house at 8 PM being asked to “just have a look at” a gas appliance.
This site publishes the line instead. Not as a limitation — as the reason the arrangement is worth having. You get somebody who attends the property regularly and knows it, plus the correct licensed professional when the property needs one, plus a record of both.
The division
Two roles, deliberately separate
The attendant observes, documents, performs non-trade tasks, and provides access. They are at the property regularly and know its history.
The licensed professional diagnoses and performs regulated work, under their own certification, their own insurance and their own liability.
Conflating the two is how people get hurt and how buildings get damaged. Keeping them separate is the point.
The roster
Who gets called, and what they hold
The trades a vacant property actually needs, the credential that qualifies them, and what typically brings them out.
| Trade | Credential | Typical call-out on a vacant property |
|---|---|---|
| Plumber | Journeyperson, compulsory certification | Failed supply line, seized shut-off valve, water heater at end of life |
| Gasfitter | Journeyperson, compulsory certification | Anything on a furnace, boiler or gas appliance |
| HVAC technician | Journeyperson, compulsory certification | Heating failure, furnace lockout, seasonal service |
| Electrician | Journeyperson, compulsory certification | Panel work, fixtures, thermostat wiring, unexplained tripping |
| Home inspector | Licensed in Alberta, working to a standard of practice | Pre-vacancy baseline, post-vacancy assessment, pre-listing |
| Radon professional | C-NRPP certified | Long-term measurement, interpretation, mitigation |
| Roofer | Insured contractor | Post-hail assessment, storm damage, ice dam remediation |
| Restoration contractor | Insured, IICRC-trained crews typical | Water damage, sewage remediation, post-loss work |
| Locksmith | Licensed under Alberta security services legislation | Re-keying at estate handover or turnover, lockouts |
| Drain and sewer specialist | Appropriately equipped and qualified provider | Sewer scope, root intrusion, recurring backups |
| Pest control | Licensed pesticide applicator where product is used | Rodent entry established over a long vacancy |
| Arborist | Certified, insured | Deadwood removal before a vacancy, storm damage |
This is the roster a vacant property draws on. Ask us to confirm which of these are currently under arrangement before you plan around a particular trade being available at short notice.
How work actually gets done
Six steps, and you decide at step three.
Found and documented
An attendant records what was observed, with photographs, and classifies it by severity. No diagnosis — an attendant reports that a furnace is not producing heat, not why.
Matched to the right credential
The nature of the problem decides who is qualified to touch it. In Alberta that is not a preference, it is the law for four of the trades below.
You authorise it
Nothing is spent and nobody is engaged without your instruction — specific, or under a standing limit you set in writing for urgent protective work.
Access provided and logged
A representative attends so the trade can get in, and arrival and departure are recorded against the property.
Completion documented
Photographs, the invoice, and what was actually done, attached to the property record.
Verified on a later visit
Nothing closes because a contractor said so. It closes when somebody has been back and looked.
Inspections
Performed by licensed independent inspectors
Home inspectors in Alberta are licensed and work to a recognised standard of practice, with their own scope, insurance and report. VacantHomes.ca holds no inspection certification and performs no inspections.
What we add is continuity: an inspector’s findings become specific items on your recurring visit checklist, so a note about staining below a basement window turns into a photographed checkpoint every fortnight rather than a line in a filed report.
Radon
C-NRPP certified professionals
Radon measurement and interpretation is carried out by professionals certified under the Canadian National Radon Proficiency Program. Placement and interpretation both affect whether a result means anything, which is why certification matters here more than in most work.
We coordinate placement and retrieval, and confirm at each routine visit that the device has not been moved — the failure nobody plans for on a three-month test.
What coordination is, and is not
Where work is coordinated with a licensed contractor, that contractor is engaged by or on behalf of the property owner. VacantHomes.ca does not perform the work, does not supervise it, does not assess its quality and does not warrant or guarantee it.
Attending an appointment is physical access and a record of attendance — not supervision, inspection, verification or approval of any work performed. Property owners should satisfy themselves as to any contractor’s licensing, insurance and suitability.
Something at the property needs fixing?
Describe it and we will tell you which trade it needs — including when the honest answer is that you should call them directly.