Manitoba RTB claims, hearings and compensation

What type of dispute is this?

• Ordinary money claim: a landlord or tenant claiming compensation generally files the proper Branch claim and pays the published $50 fee. Set out the claimed amount and reasons for each item.
• Deposit-only decision: a landlord claiming no more than the deposit, or a tenant asking the Branch to decide a security-deposit dispute within two years after the tenancy ends, generally does not pay the ordinary money-claim fee. The process differs from suing for losses beyond the deposit. A deposit matter brought after that two-year period may require an ordinary fee-bearing compensation claim.
• Order of possession: the separate application fee is $60 and the legal grounds, notice and enforcement process differ from a money claim.

Prepare for a Branch hearing

• Organize the lease, payment ledger, dated photos, condition reports, notices, receipts, repair requests and messages into a numbered evidence list. Put the item, amount and supporting proof side by side; separate what you witnessed from what another person told you.
• Serve the respondent with the official Claim and Notice of Hearing at least five days before the hearing under the Branch’s ordinary claim procedure. If proper service is impossible, ask about a substitutional-service application ($20 on the published fee schedule) and/or a new hearing date; do not assume email or sending the Branch a copy counts as valid service.
• Read the November 2026 evidence notice if the hearing or submission date falls after the rule change.

Before relying on an order

Confirm what the order actually requires, its effective date, whether review/appeal applies and which enforcement steps may be available. Do not equate a landlord notice or a scheduled hearing with an enforceable possession order.

What the claimant must prove

The Branch's claims policy identifies four basic elements for monetary compensation: an actual financial loss, a connection to the tenancy, responsibility of the other party, and a supported amount. Keep a simple schedule showing each claimed item, date, dollar amount and the corresponding receipt or other evidence. The Branch also expects parties to take reasonable steps to limit avoidable losses.

From filing to decision

1. File the correct claim or possession package and confirm its current fee.
2. Provide the respondent with the claim and hearing notice using an accepted service method; the Branch's claims guidance describes notice at least five days before a typical hearing.
3. Consider mediation. Settlement is voluntary and may avoid a hearing.
4. If a hearing goes ahead, present evidence by issue and answer the hearing officer's questions. An absent respondent does not automatically mean the claimant wins.

Evidence change effective November 1, 2026: for claims, possession matters and determinations, deliver evidence to the Branch as paper copies in person/by mail/by courier, or as files on a USB drive or other approved digital storage medium. The November notice does not list email as an accepted evidence-delivery route. Submit documents, photos and recordings together where possible, meet the applicable deadline, and provide copies to the other parties as required. Older claim-package PDFs may still mention emailing evidence; check the newer instruction.

Example: disputed $750 move-out charge

A landlord alleges $400 for cleaning and $350 for damage. The tenant disputes both. The party making the claim should identify each amount, link it to inspection photos or dated invoices, and explain why it is beyond ordinary wear. The respondent should organize a condition report, move-in photos and written replies. Whether the dispute is handled as a deposit decision or an ordinary money claim depends on the amount and remedy sought; paying the $50 fee by default may be unnecessary for a deposit-only dispute.