Selling a Veterinary Practice With Commercial Property in Alberta

1. Map the seller and regulated structure

Identify the registered veterinarians, permit holder, corporation, shareholders, practice entity, approved name, management entity, record controller, leaseholder, employer and property owner. Document related-party rent and shared services.

Define shares, practice assets, receivables, drugs, equipment, goodwill, leasehold and real estate with legal and tax advisors. Qualify buyers against ABVMA's current ownership-change and permit-holder process, especially during Alberta's 2026 legislative transition.

• Permit holder
• Practice entity
• Financial evidence
• Clients and records
• Drugs and equipment
• Lease or property

2. Prepare the ABVMA evidence record

Index current registrations, corporate permit, practice certification, name approval, services, inspections, self-verification, deficiencies, corrective action and relevant correspondence. State source dates and unresolved items.

Market current seller status as diligence evidence—not a buyer entitlement. Avoid saying that a permit, practice certification, registered professional or service category transfers automatically.

3. Build reconciled operating results

Export services, diagnostics, surgery, imaging, hospitalization, pharmacy and retail activity by provider, species and period and reconcile invoices, adjustments, collections, merchant and financing receipts, deposits, tax and ledger records.

Gross billings are not collections or earnings. Separate historical results, documented adjustments, estimates and forecasts and disclose provider, locum, emergency and referral dependencies.

4. Present client activity without selling clients

Define active client and patient, visit, reminder, preventive plan, appointment, referral and retention measures. Use aggregate, de-identified information first and document the report logic.

Clients and animal patients are not owned demand. Do not market record count, reminders, reviews, treatment recommendations or prior visits as guaranteed transferable production.

5. Control veterinary and personal records

Prepare records-system, consent, privacy, backup, access, retention and transition documentation. Identify who is responsible for complete clinical records and client access after practitioners leave or operations change.

PIPA applies to private-sector personal information. An NDA does not authorize unrestricted buyer access to client identity, payment, animal, prescription, employee or security records.

6. Prepare drug and inventory evidence

Separate prescription, controlled, refrigerated, expired, returned and retail inventory and define the physical-count, cutoff, expiry, discrepancy and closing process. Reconcile purchasing, dispensing, administration, sale and waste records.

A shelf or system count is not proof every drug is transferable or saleable. Coordinate controlled substances and practice continuity with the veterinarians, ABVMA, Health Canada requirements and counsel.

7. Register equipment and liabilities

Build a serial-numbered register for imaging, laboratory, anaesthesia, surgery, dentistry, sterilization, oxygen, cages, refrigeration, IT and vehicles. Include owner, financing, registration, condition, service, included status and replacement needs.

Use contracts, invoices and Personal Property Registry evidence interpreted by counsel. Equipment in the clinic may be leased, financed, supplier-owned, obsolete or excluded.

8. Assemble facility and radiation records

Provide the service-category and facility record, plans, inspection evidence, biosecurity, isolation, pharmacy, waste, refrigeration, oxygen, emergency, radiation registration, shielding and quality-control documentation relevant to the offering.

Disclose deficiencies and planned work. Existing operation, a previous inspection or certificate does not prove buyer approval or that a different service model and equipment layout meet current requirements.

9. Prepare lease and property evidence

For a lease, provide all amendments, options, guarantees, consents, use, animal, noise, odour, overnight care, waste, radiation, alteration and restoration provisions with reconciled occupancy costs.

For owned real estate, provide title, municipal use, building, environmental, waste, tax and capital records separately. Do not imply assignment, option exercise or property value without supporting evidence.

10. Qualify and sequence the buyer

Require a buyer plan for permit-holder and ownership approval, veterinary leadership, financing, working capital, records, controlled drugs, facility certification, radiation, municipal and landlord matters, staffing and readiness.

Tie every public claim to dated evidence and build objective closing conditions. Do not promise a handover or reopening date dependent on unconfirmed regulator, landlord, lender, professional or supplier action.

11. Close within professional boundaries

Have legal, tax, accounting, privacy and veterinary advisors address structure, allocations, receivables, staff, WCB, records, drugs, equipment and adjustments. Preserve separate legal-closing and operating-readiness gates.

Commercially does not certify permit holders, practice entities, records, revenue, clients, drugs, equipment, facility standards, lease rights or property approval, and this guide is not a valuation or professional opinion.