WINNIPEG -- Manitoba Liberal Leader Rana Bokhari promised Wednesday to freeze rents across the province for two years if her party wins the provincial election in April.

Bokhari said a freeze would give renters a break from rising housing costs and allow for a review of rent controls she said have too many loopholes.

"Every year the rent is going up. We need to start thinking about how many Manitobans are spending money out of their food budget for rent," she said.

The freeze would cover the 2017 and 2018 calendar years and would apply to all units -- not just those that are less than $1,435 a month and are governed by provincial rent controls. The only exception would be for units where new tenants move in.

The Liberals did not consult landlords before making the announcement. One landlord group said it was both surprised and disheartened.

"It seems completely ill-planned and I'd love to hear the thought process behind it," said Frank Koch-Schulte, president of the Professional Property Managers Association.

The industry is already tightly regulated, he said, and owners face rising costs for utilities, maintenance and upgrades every year.

"Buildings, particularly in Winnipeg ... are of an older nature and require continual maintenance to keep them of a quality that people expect."

Koch-Schulte said a freeze would discourage landlords from spending money on repairs or improvements.

The province already limits rent increases through an annual guideline -- usually between one and 2.5 per cent. But it allows landlords to apply for higher increases for a variety of reasons, including upgrades.

Bokhari said the exemptions are too broad. She suggested the average rental increase each year is much higher than the provincial guideline.

The leader has staked out a number of positions in recent weeks as she works to revive the Liberal brand. She took over as head of the party in 2013, two years after an election in which it captured one seat in the legislature.

She has promised to try to find ways to let ride-sharing service Uber operate in Manitoba, to the dismay of local taxi companies, and has also said she would privatize liquor sales and allow beer and wine in convenience stores -- a position that has drawn sharp criticism from the government employees union.