How to Serve a Rent Increase Notice in Manitoba: Methods, Deadlines, and Email Rules

A correctly completed notice still has to be given on time and by a method allowed under Manitoba law. A service error can make the increase invalid.

The Three-Month Rule

For an increase subject to Section 25(1) of the Residential Tenancies Act, notice must be given at least three months before the effective date. 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. The RTB's example for a January 1 increase requires the tenant to receive notice by September 30.

For a January 1 effective date, the tenant must receive the notice no later than September 30. If the notice lands on October 1, October is no longer a full calendar month — the earliest possible effective date shifts to February 1.

The effective date must also align with the start of a regular rental payment period — typically the first of the month. The dates in the table are latest hand-delivery dates; mail is deemed given on the fifth day after mailing, so mail the notice five days earlier.

Accepted Service Methods

Section 184(1) of the Act provides these general methods:

Hand delivery: give the notice to the tenant or to an apparently adult person at the tenant's residence. The notice is given on delivery.

Prepaid first-class mail: send it to the address where the tenant resides or carries on business. Under Section 184(3), it is deemed given on the fifth day after mailing unless the tenant establishes that it was not received, or was received later, for a reason beyond their control.

Email: email is not one of the Act's general methods for giving a rent increase notice. Section 184(4) allows the Director or Commission to direct a different method in a specific case.

The 5-Day Mail Rule

Under Section 184(3), a notice sent by mail is generally deemed given on the fifth day after mailing — not on the day it is posted or the day the tenant signs for it.

For a January 1 effective date, a tenant must receive the notice by September 30. Hand delivery can occur by September 30; mail it by September 25 so it is deemed given by September 30.

If the landlord mails Form 1A on September 28, it is deemed given on October 3. That is too late for a January 1 increase; the notice period must be recalculated from the deemed date.

The 14-Day RTB Filing

For notices covered by Section 28, the landlord must submit a copy of the completed notice to the Residential Tenancies Branch within 14 days after giving it to the tenant. This is a separate statutory requirement. Section 28(2) lists exceptions, including hotels, boarding-house rooms, subsidized housing, and specified life leases.

The RTB's current Winnipeg office is at 1700-155 Carlton Street, Winnipeg, MB R3C 3H8. Form 1A is also available through the RTB's Electronic Forms Submission service.

Proving Service

Disputes often come down to proof. Keep a record of when and how the notice was handed over or mailed. For mail, retain proof of the mailing date so you can apply the statutory deemed-service date.

The Manitoba Rent Increase Landlord's Guide includes a printable service log that captures the service method, date, deemed-given date (for mail), and the 14-day RTB filing deadline — all mapped to the three-month notice calendar.

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