Rent Increase Rules in Manitoba

A Manitoba landlord must give a tenant at least three months' written notice before a rent increase takes effect. For an increase to start January 1, for example, the notice must reach the tenant on or before September 30 of the prior year.

Rent can generally only be increased once every 12 months for a given rental unit -- a landlord cannot raise the rent twice within a single year.

Manitoba sets an annual rent increase guideline -- a maximum percentage most landlords can apply without special approval. The 2026 guideline is 1.8%, effective January 1, 2026, calculated from the change in Manitoba's average annual all-items Consumer Price Index. The province has announced a 2027 guideline of 3.0%, effective January 1, 2027.

The guideline applies to most rented apartments, single rooms, houses, and duplexes. If your rent is $1,000 a month and the guideline is 1.8%, the maximum standard increase is $18, bringing rent to $1,018.

A landlord who wants to raise rent by more than the guideline amount must apply to the Residential Tenancies Branch for an above-guideline increase, rather than simply notifying the tenant. The RTB publishes a dedicated fact sheet on this process, and tenants can respond to or dispute an application.

If your landlord has issued a rent increase notice above the current guideline without going through this approval process, contact the RTB -- the increase may not be enforceable.

Check that the notice is in writing, gives at least three months before the effective date, and doesn't exceed the current guideline (unless the landlord has RTB approval for a higher increase). If anything looks off, the Residential Tenancies Branch can confirm whether the notice is valid.