Effective August 1, Manitoba’s Residential Tenancies Amendment Act was amended to offer new protection for rental tenants and landlords. The changes, which will be followed by regulatory adjustments in January 2015, were announced by Ron Lemieux, Tourism, Culture, Heritage, Sport and Consumer Protection Minister, on July 24.

For tenants, changes to the act include:

• Compensation for moving costs and increased rental fees associated with renovations; and
• Annual rent increases must be linked to Manitoba’s Consumer Price Index and fall within the Bank of Canada’s inflation-control target range.

For landlords, changes include:

• The ability to end tenancies in the event of unlawful activity affecting the safety, property or well-being of other renters;
• Appeal process adjustments, allowing landlords to act faster on rulings where tenants have not paid rent; and
• The ability to charge a higher pet damage deposit for new tenants with pets.

“Renters deserve to feel safe in their homes,” says Minister Lemieux. “That’s why we’ve introduced changes that will make it easier for landlords to evict tenants who break the law and put other tenants at risk.”

Regulatory changes coming in 2015 may also result in smaller rent increases for tenants.