Mayor under renewed pressure to fight for London rent controls

London Mayor Sadiq Khan is being pressed to again take up the cause of rent controls in the Capital.

A new ‘London Rent Commission’ organised jointly by the Green Party and renters rights group Acorn has been formed to push the issue of rent controls up the political agenda.

Khan said previously: “I’ve been calling for the power to freeze rents in the Capital for years, but the government has refused.”

Sky high

Zoë Garbett, a Green member of the London Assembly (main picture), says: “There were rent controls until 1988 and we could say we’ve had a failed experiment of not having rent controls. We now need to get back to having them.”

The commission’s first meeting at City Hall heard from renters who were struggling to pay sky high rent bills.

New rent cap

In Scotland, the SNP Government is proposing an amendment to the Housing Bill, which will allow rent caps in areas where controls can apply.

The Government says increases would be limited to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) plus 1%, up to a maximum increase of 6%.

If approved, the rent cap will apply to rent increases both during a tenancy and, crucially in between tenancies as well.

Crack down harder

Acorn launched a campaign last week to persuade MPs to make the Government’s looming Renters’ Rights Bill crack down on agents and landlords even harder.

The organisation took to the streets in 30 cities across the UK over the weekend urging people to send a letter to their local MP.

Main picture: Southwark News