How to Raise Rent in Manitoba: A Step-by-Step Process for Landlords

A rent increase in Manitoba follows statutory notice, timing, and filing rules. A notice that does not meet the applicable requirements may be invalid.

Step 1: Confirm the 12-Month Rule

Under Section 118 of the Residential Tenancies Act, subject to its exceptions, rent cannot be increased earlier than 12 months after a unit is first occupied as a rental unit, or more than once in any 12-month period.

A change of ownership does not reset this clock. If the previous landlord raised rent on March 1, the new owner cannot increase again until March 1 of the following year.

Step 2: Check Whether the Guideline Cap Applies

Most units are capped at the annual guideline: 1.8% for 2026, 3.0% for 2027. Three categories are exempt from the cap (but not from the three-month notice or 12-month frequency):

• Monthly rent at or above $1,670 (2026) or $2,000 (2027), measured on December 31 of the preceding year
• New buildings whose first rental unit is occupied after March 7, 2005, and whose first occupancy permit, if required, is issued after that date; the 20-year period starts on the earlier of the permit date or first tenant occupancy
• Subsidized housing with rent geared to income

If the unit is under the cap, calculate the increase on the rent payable before any discount. The regulation allows the permitted increase to be rounded to the nearest dollar; if you round one unit in a complex, the RTB says to round all units in that complex.

Step 3: Prepare Form 1A

Form 1A — "Notice of Rent Increase" — is the RTB's standard notice. A landlord may use Form 1A or their own form containing all information required by Section 26 for a regulated unit or Section 27 for an unregulated unit. A notice that omits required information may be invalid.

Step 4: Serve the Notice

For increases subject to Section 25(1), the effective date must be at least three months after the tenant is given notice. For a monthly tenancy and a January 1 increase, the tenant must receive notice by September 30. Section 25(2) has an exception for an increase taking effect when, or within three months after, a new tenant first occupies, if the landlord gives the notice required by Section 116.1. If notice is mailed, Section 184(3) generally deems it given on the fifth day after mailing, so mail it earlier.

Under Section 184(1), give the notice by handing it to the tenant or to an apparently adult person at the tenant's residence, or by prepaid first-class mail to the address where the tenant resides or carries on business. Mail is deemed given on the fifth day after mailing, subject to the exceptions in Section 184(3). Email is not one of the Act's general service methods.

Step 5: File With the RTB

For notices covered by Section 28, send a copy to the Residential Tenancies Branch within 14 days after giving it to the tenant. If the unit is vacant when notice is required, the copy is due within 14 days after the beginning of the three-month notice period. Section 28(2) lists exceptions, including hotels, boarding-house rooms, subsidized housing, and specified life leases.

Step 6: Collect the New Rent

On the effective date, the new rent is payable if the increase is valid. For a proposed above-guideline increase, the RTB says tenants are not required to pay the proposed above-guideline portion until an order is issued. The order sets the rent from its effective date.

What Voids an Increase

These defects may make the notice invalid under Sections 25 to 27: a wrong current-rent figure, missing required statements, an increase above the guideline on a covered unit, insufficient notice, or a form that omits required information. The RTB's Form 1A warns that an increase may be void if the notice is not completed and given as required. A landlord may need to give a new notice and restart the notice period.

The Manitoba Rent Increase Landlord's Guide consolidates these steps into a dated compliance checklist with worked examples for 2026 and 2027 guideline calculations, service-date calendars, and a notice preparation worksheet.

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