Rent Controls Needed Now, Campaigners Warn as Reforms 'Take Years'

Editor's note: This brief was summarised by The Property AI Team from a report by The Negotiator. Read the original article for full details.

Rent Controls Needed Now, Campaigners Warn as Reforms 'Take Years'

Campaigners have warned that Government plans to tackle rogue landlords and build more council homes "will take years", and say rent controls are the only way to ease pressure on tenants now. The London Renters Union made the intervention in its recent newsletter to tenants.

The group welcomed the Government's intention to build more council homes and give councils more powers to tackle landlords renting out the worst quality homes. However, it insisted the moves would "take years" and "will only work at mass scale".

Call for rent controls

In its newsletter, the London Renters Union suggested that the only way to ease pressure on tenants now is for rent controls to be introduced. It said millions of tenants face a hard winter, with soaring rents and energy bills forcing people to choose between keeping a roof over their heads and putting food on the table.

The union described the Government's plans to seize homes from rogue landlords and build council housing as essential, but repeated that they take years and only work at mass scale. It argued that rent control is the one policy that can ease the pressure on renters right now, and said it would save billions in public money currently spent on housing benefit.

Renters' Rights Act 'hasn't ended affordability crisis'

The London Renters Union said the Renters' Rights Act was a victory its movement fought for, and that it won an end to Section 21 evictions. But it added that the Act has not ended the affordability crisis, and said leaving rents to the market has failed for forty years. It described the housing system as "rigged" and said housing justice is needed for all.

In the coming months, the union said it is stepping up its campaigns for rent control, against displacement and disrepair, and for a housing system run for the people who live in it.

Government response

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government told The Neg that the landmark Renters' Rights Act is protecting tenants from excessive rent increases by limiting rent rises to once a year, giving tenants strong powers to challenge above-market increases and banning rental bidding wars. The spokesperson said the best way to ensure long-term housing affordability is to build the homes the country desperately needs, and that the Government is taking action to boost supply and investing £39billion in social and affordable housing.