New Housing Secretary Angela Rayner has confirmed that the government is not looking to bring in rent controls in England.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Rayner said: “I don’t think that rent freezes, rent controls, is a way forward at the moment”, citing measures in the Renters’ Rights Act and potential unintended consequences.

Rayner’s announcement came after PM Andy Burnham had suggested ministers were exploring the possibility of bringing in a limit to rent increases as a way to address the rise in the cost of living.

In 2023 when he was the mayor of Greater Manchester, Burnham called for freezes to private sector rents until the cost-of-living crisis was over. However, Rayner added: “Three years ago, Andy called for that because there was a significant crisis in the rental market. We implemented between then the Renters’ Rights Act which is giving renters more power and control."

Areas

She said that controls which had been implemented in some areas of the UK over the past few years had not “necessarily brought rents down”.

Vanessa Hale, chief executive of Real Estate:UK, says it’s excellent news for the housing sector. “RE:UK has consistently made the case and will continue to make the case, against rent controls, and most recently to the incoming Prime Minister, Chancellor and Housing Secretary, and we welcome that fact that ministers have heeded our warnings about the harm they could cause to new homes and the jobs and economic benefits they bring. Improving affordability must remain the priority, but the answer is increasing the supply of homes, not introducing measures that risk deterring the investment needed to deliver them.”

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Chief executive of Generation Rent, Holly Williamson, (pictured right) says she’s very disappointed on behalf of renters across England. “A limit on rent increases would be a hugely impactful cost of living measure that places very little strain on Treasury budgets. We urge ministers to review the evidence as they develop their plans to tackle the affordability crisis," says Williamson.

“The Renters’ Rights Act was a vital first step in addressing the power imbalance between tenants and landlords, but it does not go far enough to address the cost of rents.”

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