Housing Secretary Angela Rayner ruled out rent controls in England last week, days after Prime Minister Andy Burnham said a temporary rent freeze was among the cost-of-living measures being considered.
Rayner said the Government would instead rely on protections introduced through the Renters’ Rights Act, including restrictions on rent increases and measures intended to prevent bidding wars.
She also acknowledged that delivering 1.5 million homes during the current Parliament had become more difficult because of rising construction costs and wider market pressures.
However, the Housing Secretary insisted the target had not been abandoned and said the Government would continue pursuing it.
RENTAL POLICY
Speaking to BBC Breakfast on Friday morning, Rayner said: “We won’t be looking at rent controls if that’s what you’re getting at at the moment.
“That is not something that we’re looking to do because we’ve seen what’s happened in areas like Scotland. It hasn’t necessarily brought rents down.”
Burnham previously supported calls for a freeze on private rents while serving as Mayor of Greater Manchester. After entering Downing Street, he confirmed that rent freezes were being examined but said no final decision had been taken.
Rayner said circumstances had changed following the introduction of the Renters’ Rights Act, which gives tenants greater powers to challenge rent increases and limits landlords to raising rents once annually.
“I think that’s a better way of stabilising the rental market,” she said.
HOUSING TARGET
Turning to housebuilding, Rayner described the 1.5 million-home commitment as a “really difficult stretched target”.
She said: “It certainly got more challenging, and we’ve seen things like construction costs go up, which has had a real negative impact on that.
“But I’m not dropping it.”
Rayner compared the ambition with attempting to run the London Marathon in under five hours, adding that homes could not be delivered immediately and required sustained effort.
