Rent rises should be capped to help millions of struggling renters in England and Wales, a new report commissioned by Labour argues.
The commission into the private rented sector, led by Hammersmith and Fulham Council leader Stephen Cowan, recommends that rent increases within tenancies are capped to local wage growth or inflation, whichever is lower.
The cap is part of a proposed ‘rent stabilisation’ model which would also ban rent review clauses and limit landlords to increasing rent once a year, with tenants given four months’ notice.
However, the commission said it came out ‘strongly against hard rent controls’, which it concluded were damaging to the sector.
Its other recommendations include a national landlords register, which would require landlords to detail compliance with health and safety laws, and a new Decent Homes Standard.
Cllr Cowan said: ‘Our report offers a practical series of measures to professionalise the sector.
‘These measures would provide renters with greater security and provide good landlords with the stability they need to run their businesses.’
Although the report was commissioned by Lisa Nandy when she was shadow housing secretary, Labour has distanced itself from its findings, according to the Guardian.
Cllr Cowan said he hoped the report would ‘provide food for thought’ for the shadow cabinet.
