If you rent out a house, a duplex or a fourplex in southeast Manitoba, you have probably wondered what you can charge next year and how much warning you owe your tenants. The Residential Tenancies Branch (RTB) has now set the number for 2027, and there are a few date and exemption details worth getting right before you write a notice.
The short version
- The 2027 guideline is 3.0 per cent, effective January 1, 2027. For comparison, the RTB's own table shows 1.8 per cent for 2026.
- It applies to increases that take effect in 2027. The RTB says the guideline applies to increases taking effect in that calendar year.
- You need at least three months' written notice before any increase starts, on the right form.
- Once a year is the usual limit. In most cases rent can only go up once in any 12 months.
- Send the Branch a copy within 14 days of giving the notice to your tenant.
- Some rentals are exempt from the guideline, including units renting for $2,000 or more a month and some newer buildings. The $2,000 line is new for 2027, and it changes the answer for some units. Details below.
How the 3 per cent is set
The number comes from a formula set out in the regulation: it compares the average of Manitoba's monthly consumer price index for the 12 months ending June 30 of the previous year with the average for the 12 months before that. The result is rounded to one decimal place and cannot go outside the Bank of Canada's inflation-control target range, which the RTB describes as currently between one and three per cent.
The RTB applies the formula in the regulation and has set the 2027 guideline at 3.0 per cent, which is also the top of the Bank of Canada's target range.
Get the dates right
The dates are where a small slip costs the most. The RTB's example is simple: for an increase on January 1, the tenant must receive the notice on or before September 30. That date has already passed for January 1, 2027. If you did not send a notice by then, you cannot start a 3 per cent increase on January 1. Notice has to be given for the date you actually want.
Using the same rule (notice at least three months before the increase starts), here is how it works for the next few months:
| If the increase starts | Your tenant must have the notice by |
|---|---|
| February 1, 2027 | October 31, 2026 |
| March 1, 2027 | November 30, 2026 |
| April 1, 2027 | December 31, 2026 |
Two practical points:
- A notice can be handed to the tenant, or to an apparently adult person at the unit, or sent by prepaid first-class mail. Mail is treated as given on the fifth day after mailing, so mail early. For a February 1 increase, that means mailing by October 26.
- An increase is void if the notice is late. The RTB's fact sheet says even one day late does not count as proper notice.
What the notice must say
Use the RTB's Notice of Rent Increase form, which is available online or to print. In plain terms, it needs to show:
- The rent the tenant pays now.
- The new rent and the increase, in dollars and as a percentage.
- The date the increase starts.
- The maximum increase allowed (the guideline).
- A statement that the increase is not valid without three months' notice.
- A statement that the tenant can object to an increase above the guideline.
Then file a copy with the Branch within 14 days of giving it to your tenant.
Which rentals are exempt
The guideline covers most houses, duplexes, apartments and single rooms. Some units are exempt from the guideline.
Rent of $2,000 or more
Under the Residential Rent Regulation, units whose monthly rent on December 31 of the previous year is $2,000 or more are exempt. For increases in 2027, that means the rent you were charging on December 31, 2026. From 2028 the $2,000 figure is adjusted each January 1 by that year's guideline, rounded to the nearest $5. If your unit sits right around $2,000, confirm with the Branch before you rely on the exemption.
What changed for 2027. A 2026 amendment to the regulation (M.R. 91/2026) replaced the old, lower threshold with this flat $2,000. The new threshold applies to every increase that takes effect on or after January 1, 2027, regardless of when the notice was given. So a unit that was exempt under the old figure but rents for less than $2,000 is no longer exempt in 2027. If you have already served a notice for more than 3.0 per cent on a unit like that, the increase cannot take effect without an above-guideline order from the Branch. Check each unit's rent against the new line before you send anything.
Newer buildings
If the first tenant moved into the building after March 7, 2005 (and its first occupancy permit, if one was needed, was issued after that date), the units are exempt for 20 years. The 20 years count from the earlier of the first occupancy permit or the day the first tenant moved in.
As those buildings age out, the guideline starts to apply to them. A building first rented after March 7, 2005 and before late 2006 has already come out of its exemption, and later ones are coming out each year. Check your own dates.
Exempt does not mean no rules
Even when the guideline does not apply, the RTB says you still must give three months' written notice. The rule against more than one increase in 12 months also still applies, and you still send the Branch a copy of the notice within 14 days.
Government and non-profit housing
Social housing, government-owned units, co-operative units and non-profit life-lease units are also exempt, but that is unlikely to describe your rental.
Raising rent between tenants
If you lawfully regain possession of a unit in a complex of three units or fewer, the Act lets you set the rent for the next tenant. You must give the new tenant a Notice to New Tenant, and a copy goes to the Branch within 14 days. For complexes of four or more units, the rules are different, and the rent is tied to the average for similar units in your building. This is one to confirm with the Branch or a professional before you list.
Asking for more than the guideline
You can apply to the Branch for an above-guideline increase if you can show the guideline will not cover cost increases you have already paid. The application must be filed within 14 days after the three-month notice period begins. The Branch reviews the whole building, tenants can object, and you cannot apply based on work you only plan to do. The 2027 economic adjustment factor used in that process is 1.9 per cent. For a few doors this is rarely worth the paperwork, but it is there if your costs have jumped.
Your rent increase checklist
- Confirm the unit is covered by the guideline (rent under $2,000 on December 31, 2026, building not in its exempt years). A unit that was exempt under the old threshold may not be now.
- Check it has been at least 12 months since the last increase.
- Pick a start date and count back three months. Add a few days if you will mail it.
- Fill in the RTB Notice of Rent Increase form, with dollars and percentage.
- Keep proof of how and when you gave it.
- File a copy with the Branch within 14 days.
- Update your rent records and any automatic payments on the start date.
How Nate's Pro helps
Nate's Pro Property Management is a registered property management brokerage run by Nathan Knell in Steinbach. Nate knows the Residential Tenancies Branch rules, and if you are not sure how to handle a tenant situation you can book a time to talk it through and get straight advice. Nate also handles rent collection and owner reporting, so a rent change is reflected properly in your numbers. The goal is a rental that protects your investment and gives you your time back. You can read more about property management in Steinbach, or see what a property manager actually does for a small landlord.
This is general information, not legal advice. Rules change, so check the Residential Tenancies Branch or talk to us about your situation.