Open Letter supporting the timely passage of proposed amendments to the Residential Tenancies Act and the Residential Rent Regulations
We are inviting organizations across Manitoba to sign an open letter calling on the Manitoba government to move forward with stronger protections for renters.
The Manitoba government recently announced it will expand rent control to cover rental units renting for up to $2,000 per month (previously $1,670), effective January 1, 2027. This is an important step toward the stronger rent protections we have advocated for. The Right to Housing Coalition continues to call for rent regulations to apply to all rental units, regardless of the rent charged or the age of the unit.
The government has also proposed other changes to rent regulations, including limiting how much landlords can increase rents above the province guideline to recover the cost of capital improvements to their buildings. These regulatory changes do not require legislative approval and can take effect immediately.
After being delayed by the Official Opposition, Bill 13, the Residential Tenancies
Amendment Act, was passed by the Standing Committee on Social & Economic
Development on October 6 th and will soon be referred to third reading and become law.
The bill expands the scope and amount of fines the RTB can issue against landlords
who violate RTB orders, makes small but important changes to better protect tenants
privacy rights, and mandates a regular review of rent regulations. introduced by the
government in March 2026. Many tenants spoke in support of the Bill at the hearings
and called on the government to limit landlords’ ability to increase rents above the
guideline.
With nearly one in four Manitoba renter households experiencing core housing need, action is urgently needed to keep rental housing affordable and protect tenants from
being forced from their homes by high rent increases.
We are calling on Premier Wab Kinew and Minister Mintu Sandhu to act now by immediately putting the proposed rent regulation changes into effect and passing Bill 13 as soon as possible when the Legislature returns in the fall.
We encourage organizations across Manitoba to add their names to the open letter and demonstrate broad support for stronger protections for renters.
