Some of the most enviable apartments in the province can be found in Lake Louise and Banff.

But an Alberta man says tenants should think twice before putting money down.

When Wayne Webster's Lake Louise landlord refused to return his damage deposit, he turned to provincial tenancy laws to try and recoup his cash, only to discover those laws don't always apply in national parks.

Wayne Webster lived in the same riverfront condo for five years. When he moved out this summer, Webster said the place was spotless and well maintained, but his landlord failed to return his $1,900 deposit.

Webster filed a complaint with Service Alberta's special investigations unit. But he was surprised to learn he didn't have a case.

The Residential Tenancies Act does not automatically apply in national parks. In Lake Louise, the province had no jurisdiction to investigate.

"I'm very disappointed that Service Alberta would take such an unusual position," said Webster Thursday during an interview on CBC's Edmonton AM radio show.

The law is designed to protect both landlords and tenants with rules pertaining to damage deposits, contract terminations and rent hikes.

Tenancy law enforcement complicated by jurisdiction

There is no guarantee Webster would have got his deposit back even if the law applied. But without it, Webster says tenants are left extremely vulnerable.

"Tenants will suffer a lot more than landlords if the province shirks its duty, as it appears to be doing, to enforce the law. I'm not saying all landlords are bad, but the ones that aren't honest may take advantage."

The question of tenancy law enforcement in national parks is complicated by land rights. Landlords in national parks own their buildings, but the land itself is leased from the federal government.

According to officials with Service Alberta, the RTA does not apply on federal crown lands unless the municipality chooses to incorporate the policy into its own bylaws.

Webster says the province, not municipalities, should expand their enforcement to ensure all tenants in Alberta are treated equally.

"People in those communities do pay provincial taxes and my feeling is that they should be entitled to the same level of service as people in the rest of the province."