After new "cosmetic" upgrades were added to the entrance and hallways of her Winnipeg, Canada, apartment building, tenant Allana Swayze said she expected a rent increase.
What she didn't expect was a proposed 78% jump by Wingspan Properties, especially since most rental units in Manitoba have rent increases capped at 1.8% per year, according to the province itself.
What's happening?
Swayze is now working with other residents at 303 Furby St. in Winnipeg's West Broadway neighborhood to fight the proposed hike through Manitoba's Residential Tenancies Branch, as originally reported by CBC News.
She currently rents a bachelor suite for $533 a month, and the increase would raise her monthly rent to $948. While the new 1.8% increase took effect on the first of this year, there are still exceptions, and landlords can ask for more when their expenses exceed that level, per CBC News.
Yet, landlords need to receive permission for these new rates from the Residential Tenancies Branch. As reported by CBC News, Wingspan Properties has not filed an application with the agency for the rent increase exception, and no hearing has been scheduled.
In a statement emailed to the outlet, Wingspan Properties said it made "substantial building upgrades and improvements to the common areas, to enhance the quality, safety and long-term sustainability of the building." The company added that the increase is necessary to help cover those costs and is in line with provincial regulations.
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Why does it matter?
For renters everywhere, this story is a reminder to document building conditions, review local tenant protections, and organize with neighbors when major changes are proposed.
Across the country, and certainly in the United States, landlords are known to try to squeeze as much money as possible out of tenants while often blocking them from making money-saving lifestyle changes, such as hanging clotheslines to dry laundry or upgrading to more efficient appliances.
Without pushing back against unreasonable proposed rent increases, landlords and the corporations that own massive complexes will continue trying to impose these large increases.
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