NDP bill aims to strengthen renters’ protection

The Manitoba government says it will carry out the largest expansion of rent control in decades.

Public Service Delivery Minister Mintu Sandhu called the measure “historical action” that will affect thousands of units in the province.

Under the proposed legislation, which was introduced by the NDP Thursday, suites that rent for at least $2,000 a month won’t be subject to rent control. Currently the threshold is $1,670 a month.

The proposed law leaves intact the exemption for complexes that are less than 20 years old.

As of February, 45,523 of 159,777 rental suites were exempt from Manitoba rent increase guidelines. A majority of those — 38,109 — were in Winnipeg. (Winnipeg counts 126,854 units.)

It’s unclear how many units would no longer be exempt under the change.

Rent increases for units subject to rent control are capped at 1.8 per cent this year. Still, landlords can apply for above-guideline increases. By Feb. 9, the province had received 176 rent increase applications this year.

Bill 13 — titled The Residential Tenancies Amendment Act — would restrict costs landlords can pass to renters when they renovate. The portion they’re allowed to share would depend on the repair, Sandhu said, but it would be no more than 50 per cent of the total expense.

He touted the bill as “strengthening renters’ protection (and) bringing in stronger penalties for landlords who don’t hold up their end of the bargain.”

The legislation would require landlords to give tenants at least 24 hours’ written notice before showing the tenant’s unit to a prospective renter.

Decisions made against tenants through the Residential Tenancies Orders system would be removed after seven years, unless the decision relates to safety or illegal activity.

Landlords would need to file more information about themselves, their property managers and their rental units to the provincial government. The fine for not adhering to the law could double to $10,000.

In the lead-up to Bill 13, Winnipeggers denounced major rent increases. Last March, a West Broadway tenants committee member went to the legislature to voice concern about above-guideline rent increases.

The group endorsed a private member’s bill on the topic and said the government had failed to protect tenants.

In the 2023 election, the NDP promised to strengthen rent control. Sandhu’s mandate letter includes “strengthening renters’ rights” and reviewing the Residential Tenancies Act.

Average rent in Winnipeg is $1,660 per month as of March 2025 — a 1.3 per cent increase from the previous year, according to a Rentals.ca and Urbanation report.

Manitoba was the most populous province to see an increase in average asking rents, the report says. Still, Winnipeg trails behind the national average rent of $2,030, which is led by Vancouver and Toronto.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com