A Labour council is being tipped to vote tomorrow to introduce rent controls for the private sector, even though it has no powers to implement such a decision.
Other measures predicted to be backed by Bristol council include a rogue landlord database and exploring how to prevent ‘bidding wars’ to secure private rental properties which have rival prospective tenants.
The proposals for the measures come from a body called the Living Rent Commission, which reports to the council but has an independent structure including councillors from different parties, and tenant representatives.
Green councillor Tom Hathway, who is backing the idea alongside Labour members, has spoken to a Bristol alternative online news service called Cable and says: “The national shift from social housing to private rented over the last 40 years has seen houses turned from homes into investment vehicles. Deregulation has left tenants with little protection, and with the economic chaos the government have unleashed, already over-inflated rents in Bristol are shooting up further and pushing people into poverty.
“This joint motion [for rent controls and other measures] builds on the ongoing work of the council’s Living Rent Commission and includes actions we can take today to engage and protect Bristol’s 130,000-plus renters, whilst we wait for the government to catch up and devolve the rent control powers we urgently need.”
Labour’s cabinet member for housing on the council - Tom Renhard - told Cable: “This motion allows the council to put its full weight behind getting rent controls introduced in Bristol. The current government’s reluctant to allow us to trial them, but with Labour pledging to devolve significant powers to local government, this gives us a clear path to getting them introduced.
“In the more immediate term, this motion pledges our support for expanding landlord licensing city-wide, builds on our work tackling unscrupulous landlords, assist efforts to end ‘bidding wars’, and will see the council officially oppose the previously proposed expansion of right-to-buy to Housing Associations – and instead put suggestions to government for ways to increase home ownership without depleting social housing stock.
“Alongside our work expanding the supply of housing, with 2,563 homes built last year alone, including the most affordable homes for 12 years, these policies are sorely needed to tackle Bristol’s housing crisis.”
Last week Labour’s national leader Sir Kier Starmer set out a radical programme of devolution to local authorities at city and county level - and which could, by accident or design, herald the introduction of rent controls across the country.
Starmer says the first King’s Speech under a Labour government would include a so-called Take Back Control bill - reclaiming the slogan of Brexit supporters - and this bill would devolve powers to local communities over employment support, transport, energy, climate change, culture, housing, culture and childcare provision.
Although details were light in Starmer’s speech, the inclusion of housing in his devolution agenda means local mayors and councils may be in a position to implement rent controls, more landlord licensing and other controls over the private rental sector.
Labour local government politicians have been fiercely pro-active in recent months, calling for additional powers over private rental properties and in addition to Bristol, local Labour leaders in London, Manchester and Wales have called for rent controls.
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😂👎🏻 nonsense, it’s like me voting myself as prime minister…. Some councils are off the scale.
It’s laughable the obvious blatant lies being pumped out here every day.
This Article talking about Rent Freezes and Tenants being driven into poverty without reference to the main instigators of high Rents.
The Government Policy’s and Councils continuous attack on the Private Sector.
Loaded with extra endless Requirements and Regulation’s all adding huge costs to the operation of Renting out a Property.
Whether it be Double Stamp Duty to Purchase, Mandatory-Additional or Selective Licensing, Introduction of Section 24, imminent removal of AST and abolition of Section
21 which they have obstructed and curtailed the legitimate use of for years often costing landlords thousands.
Excuse me what was the Complaint again, surely not high Rents they wouldn’t have anything to do with this would they ?.
And so LLs put up rents as high as they can now just in case they can't later!
The Proposal comes from “LIVING RENT COMMISSION”
an Independent structure made up of Councillor’s from different Parties and Tenants Representatives. Oh! They forgot they excluded the Providers of all the Properties, minor oversight it could happen to anyone they are irrelevant why should they have a say ?
They need to understand the difference between Independence and Collusion.
Bristol. The city where criminal damage is not a crime!!
“The national shift from social housing to private rented over the last 40 years has seen houses turned from homes into investment vehicles.
Umm whose job is it to provide social housing? Private landlords are filling a gap, like a private dentist when you cant find an NHS one.
Houses turned into investment vehicles, disgusting, it's not like they are still housing people who are unable or don't want to buy, oh hang on a minute.
Investment vehicles are obviously bad things, I mean it would be shocking to think that people would make money out of necessities such as housing people or growing food or selling food or making medicine or looking after old people or providing transport or making clothes etc. Anyone doing any of these things are obviously scum.
Christopher, well said! Sums it up nicely.
If I was a landlord in Bristol I would now be considering either selling or increasing the rents , this will help very few if any tenants and in fact will have the opposite effect.
If you want evidence that devolved power doesn't work just take a good look at Scotland , Wales and Northern Ireland. It would take a fool to carry on repeating the same mistakes over and over
Absolute proof that politicians are fools as that's exactly what they are doing!
Trust in politics and politicians is at an all time low
Can’t think why … /s
Luckily I am outside Bristol so not immediately affected but it is obvious to me that if there is a possible rent freeze, I will have to raise all our rents (which are currently significantly under the average and even under the LHA in some cases) proactively to avoid being trapped at an uneconomic level.
Also the already oversubscribed rental market in South Glos, where we are, will become more competitive as Bristol landlords quit the sector and availability there decreases. More commuters on the road into Bristol - whoopee! Just as an aside, the public transport from our patch into Bristol is also a shambles so more commuters means worse pollution. Another unrecognised own goal.
The Welsh Government,with their new rental contracts, have imposed a ban on raising rents more than once annually.
This , in a way, can also be looked upon as introducing a form of rent control.
Plaid Cymru lefties have been calling for the introduction of rent controls to curb rises and I expect that this will be the next thing to be imposed upon us.
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