June 1st, 2013
According to a report on CBC news, the Manitoba government is proposing changes to landlord and tenant laws in the province.
Bill 40 was introduced in the legislature. The government has stated this Bill will help landlords. For example, it proposes allowing landlords to end a tenancy in response to unlawful activity if it damages the building or poses a safety risk to other tenants.
It’s clear landlords need more tools to deal with dangerous situations.
In a news release by the Minister in charge of healthy living, seniors and consumer affairs, Jim Rondeau:
“We’re … giving landlords new powers to evict tenants who break the law, such as drug dealers, because illegal activity can create an unsafe living environment for tenants and real problems for landlords.”
The bill also proposes making landlords provide compensation for moving costs, as well as higher rental rates, if they are purposefully creating an “undesirable living environment” to displace tenants.
Among other things, it calls for changes to how rent increases are set so that they would follow a prescribed formula or are linked to the Consumer Price Index.
Rondeau’s news release also said “the legislation would allow landlords to charge a higher pet damage for new tenants to encourage more landlords to allow pets in their buildings
Here are the main points of the proposed changes
The province will devise a formula, perhaps based on the consumer price index as the Ontario rent increase formula is, for setting annual allowable rent increases.
Rules will be changed to make it easier for landlords to evict dangerous, law-breaking tenants
Landlords who purposely create undesirable living conditions during building renovations to push tenants out will have to compensate them for moving costs and the increased rent.
The appeals process will be reformed to speed up rulings in cases where tenants have not paid their rent.
Landlords will be allowed to charge a higher pet-damage deposit for new tenants to encourage more landlords to allow pets.
The rules for granting above-guideline rental increases will be tightened and limits will be set on the amount landlords can immediately charge to pay for renovations.
To discuss these and other issues facing Manitoba landlords go to the Manitoba Landlord Forum
Tags: Bill 40, Landlord Rights
