How to Check Whether a Company Is Legitimate

Ten minutes of checking prevents most of the harm done in this business.

Not everyone contacting you is a problem. Some run legitimate businesses and a few will genuinely help. Sorting one from the other is quicker than most people expect.

Check the licence, where one is required

Real estate agents in Alberta are licensed by the Real Estate Council of Alberta, and registration can be verified. Lawyers are regulated by the Law Society of Alberta and their standing is checkable. Licensed Insolvency Trustees are federally licensed and appear on the government's register. Mortgage brokers are licensed too.

If someone claims a professional title, verify it directly with the regulator rather than trusting a logo on a website. It takes minutes.

Check the business itself

Is there a real, verifiable address — not just a mobile number and a form? Is the company registered in Alberta? How long has it existed? Who owns it, and are they named anywhere?

Look for reviews outside their own website, and be sceptical of a page of glowing testimonials with no verifiable source. Fabricated reviews are common in this space.

The questions that reveal most

"What exactly do you do, and how are you paid?" A legitimate operator answers plainly: paid from a completed sale, or a professional fee for defined work. Vagueness here is the signal.

"Can I have that in writing?" Anything not survivable in writing is not a real offer.

"Can my own lawyer review this?" The answer to this single question sorts most of the field. Anyone reluctant has told you what you need to know.

Hard rules regardless of who it is

Never pay an upfront fee to stop a foreclosure. Never sign over title in exchange for a promise about later. Never sign the same day you are first approached.

If you are unsure

Ask someone independent. A free legal clinic, a credit counsellor, or a Licensed Insolvency Trustee will tell you frankly whether an offer looks reasonable — and none of them are paid by the person making it.

Feeling rude for checking is a common reason people skip this. Nobody legitimate is offended by being verified. That reaction is itself information.

Questions people ask

Is a nice website a good sign?
No. Websites are inexpensive. Regulator registration, a verifiable address and a willingness to put things in writing are the signals that mean something.
They say they are 'certified'. Is that a licence?
Not necessarily. Ask which body certifies them and verify it directly with that body.
How do I report someone?
Depending on what they claim to be, the relevant regulator or Alberta's consumer protection service. Keep every document and message.
Next: your options if you need to sell get a free, confidential assessment all guides

General information about the Alberta foreclosure process — not legal or financial advice, and nothing here guarantees an outcome. Every file is different.

Working with licensed Alberta real-estate professionals. Foreclosure Help Alberta is an education and referral service — we are not a law firm and we do not provide legal advice.