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Activists want Rent Control Board to limit rent rises

A pressure group for tenants wants the next Mayor of London to win powers from the government to reduce rents, through a series of measures.

These include freezing rents within tenancies, and “a rent control system that aims to reduce rents overall”, the linking of rents to the quality of homes, and a London-wide Rent Control Board to exercise unspecified “tough penalties for landlords who break the rules.”

Generation Rent says its research amongst tenants in the capital shows that Berlin’s system of long-term rent caps is the most popular; a points-based system governing the level of rent that can be charged on homes in the Netherlands was the second most popular, and the Danish model where rents are based on costs also had support. 

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But activists in the campaign rejected the Scottish model that simply limits increases in the rent during a tenancy.

Meanwhile Generation Rent also claims that private tenants in nine London boroughs “face paying half of their income or more in rent.” It makes its calculation by saying that rent on the typical two-bedroom home in the capital costs 45 per cent of a full-time salary.

It says that in March 2020, the rent on the median two-bedroom home in London was £1,450 and the median full-time salary was £38,592. “That would mean that a single-earner family with a baby would be spending 45 per cent of their earnings on rent” ays the group.

Generation Rent’s manifesto for London also calls for the building 60,000 new homes to house people currently in temporary accommodation, regulating illegal year-round holiday lets that take homes out of the long term market, and taking unspecified action with the Metropolitan Police to tackle illegal evictions. 

Baroness Alicia Kennedy, the pressure groups’ director, says: “High rents force people into poverty and make it almost impossible to save towards the future. No one should have to spend more than 30 per cent of their income on rent, yet this is a reality for most Londoners who are stuck in the private rented sector.

“Londoners urgently need bold action to make renting more affordable. Investment in housebuilding is needed to make renting more affordable long-term, but rent controls would offer immediate protection and relief.”

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  • George Dawes

    Good luck with that , you'll need it

    More hopeless lefty drivel

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    Many landlords rarely raise rents for decent tenants. Schemes like this push rents up for everyone. These loonies only harm decent tenants by protecting rogue rent dodgers.

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    They mention a scheme in Berlin, isn't that the same scheme that makes non payment of rent a criminal offence, where rent dodgers are quickly removed by the police ?

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    • 07 April 2021 23:58 PM

    It sure is........One day late on rent payment in Germany and the police arrive and throw you out. Furniture and all.

    It is a great system. Hardly any rent defaulters.

    I wonder why?

     
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    They Authorities lumbered huge costs on renting the root cause of high rent. Then have the cheek to talk about unaffordable rent. Remove the C/tax portion from Mayor. Remove Licensing Schemes that’s costing a fortune funded solely by LL & Tenant if Council wants those schemes then they should pay for them. The LL has to pay for huge material & Labour costs associated with those Schemes without paying £1300. Council Application fee + all the Certificates he is required to have, don’t ever think 5 years is a long time because it’s not. I have redone all at least twice some 3 times & one will be fourth time (2006/11/16 &21), while some LL were never required to do any, what a burden jut add arrears. Go on then put a Fools Cap on it.

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    Very true Michael. The so called cure to bad landlords is the cause of a lot of the cost hikes.

     
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    At what point does private property stop being private property? We will have no say in anything at all if this hate the landlord trend keeps rolling faster and faster. I ooking at the prices at the moment cashing in seems more attractive by the day.

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    I usually dont comment as it feels such a waste of time but this make me just laugh


    Are we serious here?

    The market dictate the price not a board!! That is considered "price fixing" in an open market

    We are not charity, we pay taxes too. And like any company extra costs are passed onto the customer or consumers

    Seriously

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    The real problem is not high rents but low wages.

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    Wow! Great idea.
    Have they considered monthly mortgage payment, cost of maaanagement and repairs, insurance and other miscellaneous

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    More hypocritical tripe from the loony left. They pretend to get all aerated about holiday lets taking homes out of the rental market, whilst simultaneously proposing a plan to do exactly that! I also wonder how this squares with their other plan to get rid of landlords altogether. Do they not see how they’re arguing against their own point?! Another example is in these rent controls. They always cite Berlin as the ideal example, but strangely never seem to want the entire Berlin package - bring your own kitchen/bathroom for the tenant, and landlords going CGT-free after 10 years ownership. Funny how they don’t seem so keen to mention that when extolling the virtues of Berlin, eh? It is for these contradictory reasons that the buffoons at GR won’t get this implemented anytime soon. They’ll tear themselves apart trying to implement their own arguments. I mean, imagine if landlords leave the market as a result - you’ll get these idiots complaining that they need more landlords!! Couldn’t make it up...

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    Gosh and I thought we had tough penalties already anytime Council wants extra few Bob fine the LL 10/ 20/40 or 80k. We have De-Regulations Act, Licensing Schemes, Deposit Schemes, Banning Orders. Confiscation Orders. Rent Re-Payment Orders, Criminalisation Act, Section 21 undermined & nobbled going, Dogs coming. My goodness and now they are talking about getting tough with us. So what do you call what they have being doing.

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    Sorry but I run a business here and I offer a good product for a fair price and the rent should be based on a market demand. I am not a charity. Ideas like this will push landlords out of the PRS and push more people on to the housing associations and councils - ah but they dont have enough housing stock! Enter the PRS to fulfil demand. Get real, demand sets prices!

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    They already have one. It is called the first tier tribunal.

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    People who rent in Berlin are liable for minor repairs - so if they pull the curtain rail off or damage the shower they have to pay to fix it instead of expecting the landlord to do so like here. (Obvs. if the shower breaks down cos it's so old then it's the landlord who pays to fix it, but it the tenant does the damage they're liable.) Also, it's up to the tenant if they want a freshly decorated place or not to move into - they either have it decorated, in which case they have to redecorate before they leave (and that includes things like carpets) or they move in undecorated and if they do any decorating themselves that's up to them but they don't need to redecorate when moving out. And there's no obligation for the landlord to redecorate during the tenancy either!

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    Decorating is a sore issue if you have the whole place done before they move in. They will take it first then after they move in, will want to Change the colour especially if from Eastern Europe, they will paint the Town Grey inside & out but I’ll forgive them for that otherwise they are a good culture & great Tenants.
    I still content there are loads too many Flats in London and wished LL would stop been taking-in by Media Hype.

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    We are too scared to tell the truth those days.

  • Madeleine  Astor

    I notice Theodor Cable you comment a lot on these pages so makes me think you have had a lot of bad experiences with tenants which if so I am so sorry for and hope these days you go through more extensive checks on new tenants or if with an agent you found a better one? But you do seem to pigeon hole with certain tenants assuming that because they are on housing benefit they spend all their money on alcoholic and don’t pay their rent !! I don’t know what the government were thinking when they decided to pay direct to tenants and introduced universal credit as if I was a landlord I would only accept housing benefit if it was paid direct to me and I am on housing benefit myself and have always arranged it paid direct to my landlord and have a standing order for just over £100 a month to go direct to landlord also and although I don’t like to be lumped in with the ones that decide not to pay their rent it does annoy me that they are making life more difficult for people that do pay !! Especially at the moment seeing a couple of my boyfriends neighbours deciding not to pay any rent and take advantage of his landlord especially as after 7 and bit years of living at my address my landlord issued me with a section 21 as the flat now does need a bit of work like bathroom floor needs replacing maybe due to water coming down from upstairs as well as electrics in bathroom lights and general refurbishment as the other 3 flats have been done and a lady lived here a few years before me and also understand that the price my landlord can get for the 2 bed flat now is maybe £200 more a month and at the end of the day it’s his property! I was going to be looking for a ground floor flat soon anyway as I have a dog ( with arthritis) as well as my own health issues similar !! Also another thing that annoys me with some other tenants that have dogs and have never bothered to house train/crate train or train them at all and let them do whatever and this also if I was a landlord if I let the dog live there then deposit and rent increase which I would pay !! I don’t think I could be a landlord and would probably get in trouble for trying to drag tenants out my property that were not paying!! At the end of the day you get good and bad in all things and there are also bad landlords out there as well as good landlords and there are bad tenants out there as well as good and not all of us are thief’s ! Although some at moment have been put in this awful position losing jobs housing benefit pays enough and benefits pay enough to cover food, gas, electric, phone, transport and rent/money towards top up of rent it’s only when people decide to spend money on things they don’t need but just want !!!

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    Madeleine, what a blog or novel even well delivered the heart wrenching honestly of this person. I am so sorry for your plight and the situation you find yourself in through no fault of your own. There is not many things worse that loosing your job that your whole life revolves around least of all at those difficult times. Take some comfort from being a renter and not lumbered with a big Mortgage around your neck especially with the uncertain job market, we don’t know what the future holds, not looking good to me but wish you well and hope things take a turn for the better soon.

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    • 08 April 2021 09:44 AM

    I'd rather keep my flat empty than lower the rent and attract all sorts of low class turds.

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    All my Rents are lower than they were and I was never getting top dollar anyway, so why keep on about Rent rises can they limit the falls while adding costs all the time.

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    It’s Labour, and Liberal’s agenda, and Sadiq Khan’s ongoing plan to get OPM (other people’s money) invested in Build to Rent.

    I support Germany style PRS-pay rent one day late & tenant must leave my property without costing a pence in legal costs, and the stress of long await for a court hearing.

    Guess one of the solutions for PRS LL’s in London-don't vote for Labour, Liberals, or Green party-they will have both tenants & landlords live in ‘environment friendly’ mud huts 🛖 for green agenda, or put investor’s money 💰 into own pockets whilst using cheap materials for ‘build to rent’-Labour & Liberal’s campaign tag lines, subsequently resulting in lost lives-as Grenfell tragedy- in a Labour run council & council/investors will recover their losses from insurance companies.

    This only leaves Conservatives as a suitable political party to vote for in London’s forthcoming mayoral elections in May 21. #voteConservatives.

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    • 09 April 2021 00:58 AM

    I just call it as I see it.
    And many are just bad people who default on an agreed contracts and payments.

    And don't forget, loads are the types who are on housing benefit and spend all their money on alcohol, bingo, cigarettes, £20 a day on Starbucks coffee, destroy properties and don’t pay their rent.

    We need to recognise that many decide that the state owes them a living. And on their journey, they ruin other's lives and financials.

    Harsh but is reality and the Labour/Libs just choose not to accept that these types actually exist.

    Please get into the real world. We need to be clear about what is happening.

    The Germans have their system working brilliantly. Yet we mollycoddle thieves.

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