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The Manitoba Landlords Association (MBLA) and its sister organization The Canada Landlords Association (CLA) are leading provincial and national organizations for private small residential landlords. We provide a unified voice for private landlords and promote and protect landlord interests to national and local government.

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Manitoba Landlords Rent Increase Guideline For 2016

Manitoba Landlords Can Raise the Rent 1.1% in 2016 (For Most Rental Properties)

Experienced and successful Manitoba landlords know the importance of renting out a safe and well maintained unit. An attractive rental property will lead to more qualified tenants wanting to rent from you and that will help during your professional tenant screening process.

This is why you need to make sure your rent is at a level which will allow you to afford maintenance and any repairs or improvements which may be needed. With increased costs professional Manitoba landlords have told us they need to raise rents in order to to keep up.

How Much Can Manitoba Landlords Raise the Rent in 2016?

With higher costs landlords and property investors want to know who much they can raise the rent. After all, taxes are higher, and utility bills, along with higher prices for plumbers, contractors and electricians landlords are also increasing. This means landlords need to make sure they can run a viable business and that their investment in residential rental property makes sense (and doesn’t take them to the cleaners!)

This is a similar concern for private residential landlords across Canada. Lets see how much landlords in other provinces can raise the rent in 2016.

1. Ontario Landlords.

Ontario landlords can raise the rent by 2%

2. BC landlords

BC Landlords can raise the rent by 2.9%

3. Alberta landlords

Alberta Landlords are lucky as due to the free market system there landlords can raise the rent by as much as the market will accept annually (as long as they give their tenants a lot of notice).

Manitoba Landlords Can Raise the Rent By Only 1.1% in 2016

According to the provincial government Manitoba landlords can only raise the rent by 1.1% in 2016. Is this fair?

Does this cover your increasing costs to maintain a high quality, well maintained and safe property? Many landlords don’t think so. Such a low allowable increase will lead to potentially serious financial pressures on good landlords who want to take care of their rental properties, improve the quality of rental stock of our province, and take care of renters.

Are landlords truly appreciated in Manitoba?

This a question many landlords and property investors are asking. Are we truly appreciated for taking the financial risk of buying a property and renting it out at an affordable price?

With such a low allowable rent increase smart landlords know that tenant screening becomes more important than ever. Because you are not allowed to increase the rent as needed renting to tenants who don’t take great care of your property can lead to major expenses.

The good news is there are lots of good tenants out there. Just make sure you screen your tenants carefully, including running a credit check, to find them. Landlords across Canada know the importance of renting to good tenants.

Manitoba Landlords Are You Going to Raise the Rent in 2016?

Tags: Credit Checks, tenant screening
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How Much Can Manitoba Landlords Raise the Rent in 2015?

The rent increase guideline for 2015 is 2.4%

New regulations passed earlier this year also strengthen requirements for exemptions from the rent regulation when landlords make renovations, and will limit how often landlords can apply for those exemptions. The changes will also spread the cost of some improvements over a longer period, which could result in smaller rent increases.

The rent guideline applies to most residential rental properties, including apartments, single rooms, houses and duplexes.

It does not apply to units renting for $1,435 or more per month as of Dec. 31, 2014; personal care homes; non-profit housing with subsidized rent; approved rehabilitated rental units; and new buildings that are less than 15 years old, where an occupancy permit was first issued or a unit first occupied after April 9, 2001, or less than 20 years old, where an occupancy permit was first issued or a unit first occupied after March 7, 2005.

About 1,000 more properties will be protected from large rent increases, Lemieux said in a statement.

He also said the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Winnipeg in 2014 is $751, compared with $888 in Regina, $1,087 in Calgary and $1,050 in Toronto. The average rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Winnipeg in 2014 is $969, compared with $1,053 in Regina, $1,267 in Calgary and $1,241 in Toronto.

Landlords can apply for an increase above the guideline if they can show the guideline will not cover cost increases they have incurred.

Tenants must receive written notice of a rent increase at least three months before the increase takes effect. For example, for a rent increase to take effect Jan. 1, 2015, tenants must receive notice by Sept. 30. With few exceptions, rent can only be increased once a year.

Tenants have the right to object to any rent increase. Objections must be filed at least 60 days before the rent increase is set to take effect.

Tags: How much can Manitoba landlords raise the rent 2015?, Winnipeg landlords
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New Rules For Notices for Manitoba Landlords

Manitoba landlords should we knowledgeable about the new rules from the Residential Tenancies Branch regarding the length of time for notices to tenants.

For more details see the Winnipeg landlords website.

Landlords will have to follow new rules for notices including the following:

1. If he Landlord Decides They Want To Move Into the Rental

2. If The Landlord Wants to Renovate the Rental Property and Believes the Tenant

Can’t Stay While the Work Is Being Completed

3. If The Landlord plans to Demolish the Rental Property

4. When The Landlord Will Convert the Unit From a Residential Rental Property to Something Different.

Make sure you contact the Residential Tenancies Branch for more information regarding the change in notice rules.

Tags: Manitoba landlords, Winnipeg landlords
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Manitoba Landlords: Rent Increase Guideline 2014

How Much Can Manitoba Landlords Raise the Rent in 2014?

We’ve received lots of emails from landlords across Manitoba in December.

Landlords across the province are facing difficult tenant challenges and increased costs.

They want to know how much they can raise the rent in 2014.

One Winnipeg landlord emailed in saying:

“My last tenant left with rent owing and the place was a mess costing me over $5000. I rented out to new renters last year for a low price. She has now brought in several ‘friends’ to live with her and my utility costs are going through the roof? Can I raise her rent to cover my additional expenses?”

Another landlord from Brandon wrote in:

“I’m a new landlord and trying to be professional and caring. The problem is the wear and tear from my tenants is often excessive. They say they don’t mean to cause damages and I believe them. It’s just I’ve had to spend hundreds of dollars for new windows and new appliances that are suddenly always broken. What can I do?”

Rent Control In Manitoba

Alberta landlords can raise the rent as much as they want for their renters because the provincial government doesn’t control how much landlords can raise the rent.

Manitoba landlords face rent control which means the government controls the rent in our province.

This is the same as what BC landlords face (they can raise the rent 2.2% in 2014) and what Ontario landlords deal with each year (Ontario landlords can only raise the rent 0.8% in 2014 and they aren’t happy about it!)

How Much Can Manitoba Landlords Raise the Rent in 2014?

The 2014 rent increase guideline for Manitoba landlords is 2.0 per cent, effective Jan. 1, 2014.

Under the Residential Tenancies Act, tenants must be given proper written notice at least three months before the rent increase takes effect.

A notice to increase rent must meet the requirements of The Residential Tenancies Act. The branch provides rent increase forms for landlords to use. In most circumstances, rents can only be increased once a year. The guideline applies to rented residential apartments, single rooms, houses and duplexes.

According to a statement from the Manitoba Residential Tenancies Branch, there are some exceptions to the guideline. These are:

1. Premises renting for $1,395.00 or more per month as of Dec. 31, 2013

2. Personal care homes

3. Approved rehabilitated rental units

4. New buildings less than fifteen years old where an occupancy permit was first issued or a unit was first occupied after April 9th, 2001

5. New buildings less than twenty years old where an occupancy permit was first issued or a unit was first occupied after March 7th, 2005.

What If Tenants Disagree With the Rent Increase?

Manitoba tenants can object to any increase in rent regardless of whether it is at, below or above the guideline.

Landlords can apply for a larger increase if they can demonstrate that the guideline amount will not cover cost increases they have incurred.

For more information on how to legally raise the rent in 2014 go to the Manitoba Residential Tenancies Branch.

Tags: Barrie landlords, Brandon landlords, Winnipeg landlords
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Tenant Screening Manitoba: Tenant Credit Checks

November 3rd, 2013

Tenant Screening Including Tenant Credit Checks Is the Key For Success

Small residential Manitoba landlords are being treated unfairly.

You only need to look at the ridiculous allowable rent increase guideline for 2014 which is set at 2 percent.

Where’s the Media for Small Landlords?

The only story that received much media attention recently was about heating in large buildings.

Last month, Winnipeg City Council created fine system for landlords who fail to abide by minimum heat standards

It was a huge story on CBC news.

What Does This Have To Do With Small Landlords?

Very little.

Most small landlords either :

1. Rent Out Their Basement

So of course they will keep on as they share the unit with their tenants

2. Own a Duplex or Triplex or Other Small Unit

They will certainly keep the heat on. Not only for their tenants but for the protection of their rental investment property.

No heat equals frozen pipes and potentially thousands of dollars in needed repairs to fix them.

Where Is the News About Tenants Who Cheat Landlords Out of Rent and Do Damages?

Sadly, the media usually avoids these stories, even though there are so many landlords with these challenges.

Where Is the News For All the Good Small Landlords in Manitoba?

It’s almost non-existent.

It’s politically correct to blame everything on the landlord.

Neither the media or the government will promote or protect small landlords.

Who Represents All the Good Small Landlords Out There?

We’re trying. Help us out.

It isn’t easy with the media against us.

And the old established corporate landlord groups very happy to cooperate with the government.

And who won’t dare really challenge the government policies against landlords.

What Can Landlords Do?

The key is to find good tenants and avoid the Manitoba system.

How Can I Find Good Tenants?

It’s important for landlords all over Manitoba to do proper tenant screening.

This includes tenant credit checks and tenant criminal checks.

How Can I Do a Tenant Credit Check?

Join the Manitoba Landlords Association and you have access to high quality and low cost tenant checks you can do from your own home or office computer in minutes.

Manitoba Landlords Don’t Rely On the Government For Help

Times have changed. The government is not looking out for you!

Tenant screening is the key for success.

Protect yourself. Protect your family.

Protect your rental business!

Join the MLA and start doing premium tenant screening.

Tags: Good Tenants, Landlord forum, tenant screening
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Tenant Screening – Avoid Bad Tenants With Credit and Criminal Checks

October 5th, 2013

It’s Time For Manitoba Landlords To Protect Themselves With Great Tenant Screening (Including Credit Checks and Criminal Checks)

We’ve all heard about landlords facing the challenges of bad tenants before.

Not only bad tenants, but bad tenants being difficult for good tenants.

While the majority of tenants are good, these bad tenants are everywhere, all over Canada.

This Time It’s Different

We have a big wake-up call for all Manitoba Landlords.

There is now a problem facing landlords that is growing and can be devastating for your rental business.

It could also be a huge disruption and harm you and your family.

Freeman-On-The Land

According to a report at the Ontario Landlords Association Calgary landlord felt like a prisoner after the basement of her rental property was taken over by a Freeman-On-The-Land tenant.

Background

The landlord, Rebekah Caverhill rented out the back half of a duplex she currently owns in the lovely Parkdale area of Calgary to a new tenant in the Autumn of 2011.

She Thought She Rented To a Nice New Tenant

A few months after he moved in the landlord found the tenant had changed the locks.

She saw through the windows the property had been painted black.

CBC news said when she wanted to talk to him he screamed “I am a Freeman on the landlord, this is now my house not yours, the property is now my Embassy!”

He then slammed the door and locked it, using the new locks he set up without permission from the landlord.

He Screamed “It’s Not Your Home Anymore!”

Tenant Screening Is the Key for Success for Manitoba Landlords

Make sure you know who you are renting to before you hand over the key.

The Manitoba Landlords Association offers access to inexpensive credit checks and criminal checks for landlords.

Protect yourself, your family, and your rental property.

Screen Well!

To Discuss This And Other Landlord and Tenant Issues Go to the Manitoba Landlord Forum

Tags: criminal check, Ontario Landlords Association, Winnipeg landlords
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PROVINCE ADVISES MANITOBA RENT GUIDELINE SET AT 2% FOR 2014

September 4, 2013

Residential landlords all over Manitoba are facing increased pressures these days.

It could be bad tenants or changes in the ways we can legally conduct business (because that’s what we are – business people running a business).

Increased Costs

We also face increased costs.

Whether it’s insurance, taxes or the price of hiring good contractors to keep our property safe and attractive, it’s becoming more expensive to be a landlord in Manitoba.

Fortunately we can try to recover our costs by raising rents, right? Many landlords have emailed us saying that at a minimum their costs are rising by 5% each year. We repeat – that’s the MINIMUM. Many landlords have figures which far exceed 5%.

To counter these costs many small and medium residential landlords need to raise the rent. When you include the fact many landlords are being forced to leave their properties vacant if they can’t find a good tenant and a fair rent is more important than ever like in other anti-landlord provinces such as Ontario.

How Much Can You Raise the Rent in 2014?

On a Sleepy End of Summer Friday Afternoon the Government Announced the 2014 Rent Increase

Remember last Friday? Last Friday in August. Start of a long week-end. You had the barbeque ready, friends coming over, and your kids were excited for the last week-end before school.

That was the day the government announced the 2014 Rent Increase Guideline

Here it is in all it’s non-glory:

“Manitoba Healthy Living, Seniors and Consumer Affairs advises the 2014 rent guideline has been set at two per cent and will take effect Jan. 1, 2014.

The guideline is determined annually and takes into account cost increases such as utilities, property taxes and other expenses in the operation of a residential complex. Manitoba has proposed legislation that would make future calculations as transparent as possible. It is anticipated a prescribed formula or the consumer price index for Manitoba would be used to help determine the guideline rate.”

That’s right. Only 2%

Landlords can apply for an increase above the guideline if they can show the guideline will not cover cost increases they have incurred.

Tenants must receive written notice of a rent increase at least three months before the increase takes effect. For example, for a rent increase to take effect Jan. 1, 2014, tenants must receive notice by Sept. 30, 2013. With few exceptions, rent can only be increased once a year.

Tenants have the right to object to any rent increase, whether it is below, at or above the guideline. Objections must be made at least 60 days before the rent increase is set to take effect.”

Maybe it’s time all landlords in the province remember this when the next election comes.

To discuss this and other Manitoba landlord and tenant issues go to the Manitoba Landlord Forum.

Tags: Credit Checks, Landlord forum, tenant screening, Winnipeg landlords
Posted in How much can I increase the rent? | 1 Comment »

How About Some Media Coverage Of Winnipeg’s Worst Tenants?

August 25, 2013

The Winnipeg Free Press had a story about Winnipeg’s worst rental properties.

It’s very common for the media to make landlords (especially small residential landlords) their favourite whipping boy/girl.

We’re only the people who create safe and affordable housing for thousands of renters across Manitoba.

We’re easy to attack. We don’t have the millions of dollars in resources the large corporate landlords have to hire lawyers and public relations specialists.

We spend our money paying our taxes on time and maintaining our properties in the hope our tenants will stay, pay the rent on time, not damage the rental unit, and maybe even appreciate the risk we take to provide safe and affordable housing. Hey, let’s follow the Ontario model of treating small residential landlords like serfs.

But that’s not sexy. Stories about good landlords are boring, plain…vanilla in a media world that craves excitement and hits to their website. Who cares if the government creates rules that will lead to less investment and lead good landlords to invest outside the province.

There was an excellent letter to the Free Press from a landlord’s perspective.

It surprising it was even published because it was so honest.

Re: Revealing the ‘Peg’s worst homes (July 2). I have been a landlord since 2010 in the North End. I bought two houses, both of which were restored to prime condition. Each time a tenant moved, I had to spend thousands of dollars to restore the home to a livable condition.

I recently sold one of the houses, because I had to spend about $15,000 to restore it. The tenant had called Manitoba Health to complain about the condition of the house. Manitoba Health condemned the house, doing us a huge favour.

They got rid of the tenant legally, where as a landlord, I couldn’t. This house was restored and sold. I now look at stories like this with more open eyes. Is the landlord a slum landlord or is the tenant a slum tenant?

The Free Press writes stories about slum landlords all the time. Don’t you think it’s about time to write about the slum tenant?

PAT KRAHN

Winnipeg

…

To Discuss this and other landlord and tenant issues go to the Manitoba Landlord Forum.

Tags: Landlord forum, Ontario Landlords Association
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Winnipeg Renter Meeting

July 3, 2013

Are you a renter in Winnipeg with questions? If you are there is a Renter Meeting for you with the Residential Tenancy Branch and the City by-law department presenting.

For example, have you ever asked yourself the following:

1. Can you stop paying rent if repairs aren’t completed?

You know, if you broke the door or the fridge.

2. What can you do if you find bedbugs and your landlord doesn’t spray?

Shouldn’t the landlord be responsible for bedbugs, even if they are brought in by tenants.

3. What qualifies the apartment you rent as being condemned?

If you don’t take out the garbage or clean up the yard could it lead to you having to actually move out.

4. When is it right to call the City by-law department?

Do you only do this after you have been evicted?

5. If I call the Residential Tenancy Branch will I be evicted?

You’ve heard about all that spying in the United States. Has the landlord bugged your phone?

All your questions will be answered July 4^th, 2013 at the big meeting.

Presenters will include the Residential Tenancy Branch and the Winnipeg By-law and Enforcement Office.

If you are a Winnipeg landlord you can arrange your own meeting. After all, landlords are all raking in the money by running slums and ripping off tenants, right?

Or does the government want to portray hard-working small landlords that way. They seem to think small landlords don’t face challenges.

Small landlords who, in reality, create high quality, affordable housing for thousands of people in our city.

Small landlords who increasingly have to deal with tenants who don’t pay rent and don’t respect our properties.

Small landlords who are true stake-holders in the economic growth of our province.

Maybe the government should hold a meeting for us showing their appreciation of what we do.

Tags: Winnipeg landlords, Winnipeg renters
Posted in Residential Tenancy Branch | 1 Comment »

Manitoba Government Proposes Changes for Landlords and Tenants

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
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