Manitoba Raising Rent Control Threshold to $2,000

The Manitoba government is adding more rental units under the provincial rent control by raising the monthly rent exemption threshold to $2,000 effective Jan. 1, 2027, Public Service Delivery Minister Mintu Sandhu announced today.

“This is the largest expansion of rent control in decades, and it will mean lower costs for thousands of families,” said Sandhu. “With stronger protections for renters, we’re making it easier to afford a good home.”

The amendment to the Residential Rent Regulation under the Residential Tenancies Act will increase the monthly rent exemption threshold starting in 2027 to $2,000 from $1,670. The change is intended to protect affordable housing for more Manitobans by expanding the number of units subject to rent-regulation rules, the minister noted.

The minister also noted the 2027 rent guideline will be set at three per cent. The annual rent increase guideline is calculated using a formula set out in the Residential Rent Regulation that is based on changes in Manitoba’s consumer price index and is capped within the Bank of Canada’s inflation-control target range, currently between one per cent and three per cent. The guideline takes effect Jan. 1, 2027, and applies to most residential rental properties including apartments, single rooms, houses and duplexes.

The guideline does not apply to:

• various types of social housing;
• rental units owned and operated by, or for, provincial, municipal or federal governments;
• rental units in buildings first occupied after March 2005, which are exempt from the guideline for 20 years;
• not-for-profit life-lease units;
• co-operative units; and
• approved rehabilitated rental units and residential rent complexes.

The Manitoba government engaged with renters, landlords, service providers and other stakeholders on the proposed changes to understand their impacts and collected public feedback through the EngageMB platform, the minister noted.

Tenants must receive written notice of a rent increase at least three months before the increase takes effect. For example, for a rent increase to take effect Jan. 1, tenants must receive notice by Sept. 30, 2026. With few exceptions, rent can only be increased once in a 12-month period.

Landlords and tenants are encouraged to contact the Residential Tenancies Branch at 204-945-2476 in Winnipeg or 1-800-782-8403 (toll-free in Manitoba) to learn more about rent increases and other rights and responsibilities.

For more information on rent increase guideline, visit www.manitoba.ca/rtb.