Private tenants in London have backed rent controls after an Assembly Member declared the capital was facing a “cost of rent crisis” — with the city’s nearly three million renters paying on average over 40 percent of their income to landlords.
A report published by Green Assembly member Zoë Garbett on Friday 7 February calls on Labour Mayor of London Sadiq Khan to set up a mayoral commission to examine how rent controls could operate in the capital.
“We need to break this cycle of unaffordability, and get a grip of the private rental market before even more Londoners can no longer afford to live in their own city,” said Garbett.
“The evidence is clear: while there’s no guarantee more private housebuilding will limit or drive down the price of renting, there is a guarantee a rent control will.”
Patrick Dunne, 26, who rents a flatshare with two others in Kennington, Lambeth said restrictions on rent increases would bring him “peace and security”. He said: “We started paying £540 per month each four years ago. We now pay £780 each. That’s almost a 40 percent increase. My wage had not risen by that amount. It’s not even close to keeping up with it.
“You don’t have [the] security of knowing where we are going to be long term. Every 12 months your living situation is at risk. If the rent increase is too high, you have to move out and enter a market that’s full of extortionately priced crappy properties. It’s hard to build a life or have a family. It’s really depressing when you think about it.”
Another renter, who described herself as living in a “mouldy” two-bed property in Bromley with her partner and another housemate, said rent controls couldn’t come soon enough. She said: “Rent controls are absolutely essential. As it stands, I definitely don’t see myself in London long term. I can’t save with so much money going towards rent.
“Currently we pay £525 each but my other housemate is about to move out and the rent will soon just be between the two of us so it will work out at over £750 per month each. That’s 47 percent of my income and I wouldn’t consider my house fit to live in.”
Mayor Khan currently lacks powers from central government to impose rent controls in the private rented sector. In 2019, he published a report in which he expressed support for rent controls and said he would seek to establish a commission to design what an effective system of rent control could look like.
But six years later that commission has yet to be brought into being.
Garbett responded by setting up her own independent rent commission and brought together representatives from the private rented sector for a meeting at City Hall in November last year.
Commissioners include representatives from Shelter, Generation Rent, New Economics Foundation, Acorn, and the London Renters’ Union.
“This report provides a summary of our discussion held in November 2024 — and shows the Mayor the importance of starting this conversation, and the steps he should take right now,” says Garbett.
Seven recommendations are made in the report, including calling on Mayor Khan to immediately convene his own mayoral commission, lobbying central government for devolved powers, and working with mayors across England to achieve “a cross-regional approach to rent controls”.
The report challenges Khan to “set out in detail how he will deliver on his manifesto promises to back renters to defend their rights, hold landlords to account, and provide funding to renters’ unions”.
Canada, France and Germany have adopted rent controls in some form or another and the report says the mayor “should borrow from international best practice to develop a framework for analysing impacts of different housing and planning policies on displacement and gentrification”.
Meanwhile, Keir Starmer’s government has so far ruled out giving Khan the power to impose on the level of rent landlords can charge.
A spokesperson for Sadiq Khan said: “The Mayor is concerned about the impact of unaffordable private rents and is determined to do everything in his power to make housing more affordable for London’s 2.6 million private renters.
“The Mayor is focused on working with government, London boroughs and housing associations to deliver more affordable homes. Last year, Sadiq unveiled an innovative new proposal for key worker living rent homes, which could save Londoners in vital frontline jobs up to £600 a month, helping to build a better and fairer London for all.”
Report: London Rent Commission, Let’s talk about rent control (pdf).
Additional reporting by Linus Rees.
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