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17/12/25 3:30 pm
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Generation Rent has renewed its calls for rent controls in Wales ahead of Senedd elections next May.
Its new manifesto Standing up for renters in Wales urges political parties to support limiting rent rises, ending Section 173 (no fault) evictions and providing compensation for renters being evicted.
ONS figures show the average monthly rent in Wales reached £817 in October, a 6.7% increase in one year, while in Newport, rents have surged by 21.2% in the past year, the fastest rise recorded anywhere in Great Britain, according to Rightmove.
The campaigning group wants the Welsh Government to back proposals that when a landlord issues a no-fault eviction notice, they should waive rent for the first two months of the notice period. It explains: “This would give tenants the breathing space they need to find a new home without falling into debt or homelessness, with the number of people trapped living in temporary accommodation in Wales currently at record levels."
Generation Rent believes rent rises should be limited each year to the lower of wage-growth or consumer price index inflation, to make sure landlords can’t raise the rent beyond what renters can afford.
The Welsh Government announced in 2023 that it was considering rent controls. However, groups including the Chartered Institute of Housing Cymru told a consultation that rent control was not always seen as fair by private landlords and could result in a significant shrinking of the private rental market.
The NRLA also labelled rent control proposals as the worst possible idea for a PRS facing a chronic supply and demand crisis, while Propertymark said 95% of surveyed agents in Wales believed they would reduce supply.
Generation Rent also continues to push for rent controls in England and says the “glaring hole” in the Renters’ Rights Act is that it does not tackle the soaring cost of renting. Head of campaigns Nye Jones believes kicking the can down the road on this issue could lead to a real headache for the government as the next election looms as private renters were the most likely tenure type to vote for Labour in 2024.
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