How to Serve a Rent Increase Notice in Manitoba

A correctly completed Form 1A means nothing if the notice is not given to the tenant in a way recognized by the Residential Tenancies Branch. Section 184(1) of Manitoba's Residential Tenancies Act sets out two standard methods, each with different timing rules that affect when a rent increase can take effect.

The Three-Month Notice Requirement

Section 25(1) of the Act requires at least three full calendar months of notice before a rent increase takes effect. Manitoba counts full calendar months, not 90 days. A notice served on October 1 for a January 1 effective date is invalid — October is not a complete month of notice. The earliest valid effective date for an October 1 service would be February 1.

The notice must also align with the start of a rental payment period, which for most tenancies means the first day of a calendar month.

Method 1: Personal Service

Hand the completed Form 1A to the tenant or to an apparently adult person at the tenant's residence. The notice is given on the date it is handed over. For a January 1 effective date, give it no later than September 30.

Keep a written record of the delivery: date, time, location, and the tenant's acknowledgment. The RTB does not require a signed receipt, but a contemporaneous note protects you if the tenant later disputes service.

Method 2: Prepaid First-Class Mail

The Act permits sending the notice by prepaid first-class mail to the address where the tenant resides or carries on business.

The notice is deemed given on the fifth day after mailing, unless the tenant establishes in good faith that they did not receive it, or received it later, because of absence, accident, illness, or another cause beyond their control. For a January 1 effective date, mail by September 25 so the statutory deemed date is September 30.

What About Email?

Email is not one of the standard methods listed in section 184(1). The Director or the Commission may direct that a notice be given in another manner under section 184(4).

The 14-Day RTB Filing Deadline

For most residential tenancies, the landlord must send the RTB a copy of the notice within 14 days after giving it to the tenant. Missing this filing deadline does not by itself void the tenant's notice, but the Branch's rent records will be incomplete. Its guide says it may decline to roll back a guideline increase only when the landlord can show that the tenant received the required notice and the landlord took only guideline increases.

The Notice of Rent Increase can also be submitted electronically through the RTB's Electronic Forms Submission service. Track the submission separately from tenant service: the 14-day clock runs from the date the notice is given to the tenant, not the effective date. If no tenant is in possession when the notice is due, the filing period instead runs from the beginning of the three-month period before the increase.

Timing Summary for a January 1 Effective Date

Personal delivery: give it by September 30. Prepaid first-class mail: mail by September 25 (deemed given September 30). File with the RTB: within 14 days after giving the notice to the tenant.

Getting the service method right costs nothing. Getting it wrong restarts the entire three-month notice period, delaying the increase and the revenue it represents. The Manitoba Rent Increase Guide maps each service method to a dated compliance calendar so the deadlines are laid out before the notice goes out.

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