Law360 Canada (September 4, 2026, 4:39 PM EDT) -- Manitoba’s government will be enacting what it is calling a “historic” expansion of residential rent control coverage in the province — but it will also be raising the annual limit at which landlords can increase rent.

According to a Sept. 3 news release, the province is increasing the monthly rent exemption threshold to $2,000 — up from the current $1,670.

The new threshold, which is happening through an amendment to the province’s Residential Tenancies Act, will take hold Jan. 1, 2027.

Starting then, renters paying up to $2,000 per month will be included in Manitoba’s rent control program — thus effectively increasing the number of rental units in the province that fall under rent control rules.

“The change is intended to protect affordable housing for more Manitobans by expanding the number of units subject to rent-regulation rules,” states the release.

Public Service Delivery Minister Mintu Sandhu commented on the change.

“This is the largest expansion of rent control in decades, and it will mean lower costs for thousands of families,” said Sandhu in a statement. “With stronger protections for renters, we’re making it easier to afford a good home.”

However, the news release also notes the annual rent increase limit will increase in 2027 to three per cent, up from the current 1.8 per cent. Therefore, starting in the new year, residential landlords falling under the rent control regulations can only increase rent by three per cent — and can do it only once per year.

“The annual rent increase guideline is calculated using a formula set out in the Residential Rent Regulation that is based on changes in Manitoba’s consumer price index and is capped within the Bank of Canada’s inflation-control target range, currently between one per cent and three per cent,” states the release.

Like many other places in Canada, Manitoba is struggling with a housing crisis — particularly in its urban centres.

There were reportedly 8,248 homeless people in the capital of Winnipeg as of this past March, according to End Homelessness Winnipeg.

According to past numbers from the organization, there were around 2,469 people experiencing homelessness in the capital as of late 2024, which the organization said at the time was the “highest estimated number of people in the 10-year history of completing a point-in-time count in Winnipeg.”

End Homelessness Winnipeg was asked for reasons behind the rise in homelessness numbers between 2024 and 2026, but an explanation not provided by press time.

“Immediate action must be taken to prevent individuals from entering homelessness and to prevent repeat episodes of homelessness,” stated the organization of the 2024 numbers. “A ramped up multi-sector coordinated response, guided by Indigenous leadership and supported by government and community partners, is required to address people’s interconnected housing, health and income needs and histories of trauma.”

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