Tenants in Manitoba can't easily tell whether a proposed rent increase follows the rules, or how to object to it.

The problem, broken down

Who it hurts

Renters in Manitoba, especially long-term tenants in older buildings, who receive a notice of a rent increase above the yearly guideline.

The moment

Opening a landlord's letter that proposes a rise of hundreds of dollars a month, with no explanation of why it is allowed.

What people do today

Tenants rely on advocacy groups and collective letters to the Residential Tenancies Branch, and often don't know whether their unit is covered by rent control at all.

Why it's unsolved

Whether a unit is covered depends on the building's age and current rent, the guideline changes each year, and landlords can apply for above-guideline increases, so the answer differs unit by unit.

What solved looks like

A free checker where a Manitoba tenant enters their building's age, current rent and proposed increase, and gets a plain answer: whether rent control applies, the guideline for that year, whether an above-guideline application is needed, and how and by when to object, with links to the Residential Tenancies Branch.

Builders still need to know

• Which rules does the Residential Tenancies Branch publish in a form a tool can read and keep current?→
• Would tenant groups use a shared objection template if the checker produced one?→
• How often do tenants miss an exemption or a deadline because they didn't know it applied?→