Loopholes allowing for unreasonable rent increases in Winnipeg: report

A new report says renters in Manitoba may be facing unreasonable rent increases. CTV’s Jeff Keele has the latest.

A new report has found that Winnipeg tenants feel like the rental system is rigged against them.

On Wednesday, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) released a Manitoba Research Alliance report titled “From Repairs to Rent Hikes: Tenant Perspectives on Above-Guideline Rent Increases in West Broadway.”

The findings of this report show that loopholes in the rent-control system are leading to unreasonable rent increases in the city, with landlords using above guideline rent increases (AGIs) to raise rents beyond the annual guideline through repairs and upgrades.

“This study aligns with existing media and literary coverage and finds that landlords use AGIs to hike rents high above the guideline, an amount set annually by the Manitoba government,” the report said.

“These increases blur the line between a landlord’s responsibility to maintain their buildings and what expenses they can foist onto tenants.”

The study itself focused on above-guideline rent increases (AGIs) in West Broadway, a neighbourhood that’s 93 per cent renters.

Researchers interviewed 14 tenants and found that AGIs increase housing precarity for many tenants, who also expressed frustration with how the above-guideline application process is biased towards landlords.

Between 2008 and 2024, these 14 tenants went through 27 AGIs ranging from three per cent to 43 per cent.

“Renters have no say in the changes that happen to their homes and are forced to pay for these changes in perpetuity,” the study said.

“The biggest barrier stripping tenants of any ability to appeal is legislation coupled with a complicated bureaucratic process and unbalanced power dynamics.”

The study noted that the challenges faced by tenants in West Broadway are felt across Winnipeg and the country, as landlords and tenants are two groups with different goals.

“For landlords, housing 6 Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives–MB is a way to increase income and build wealth; for tenants, it’s a home, a basic necessity, a fundamental human right,” it says.

Following the release of this report, the Right to Housing Coalition is launching a campaign to call on the province to pass legislation that protects tenants and keeps housing affordable.

The full report can be found online.